Cosby is a senior history major from
Memphis, Tennessee.
These past four years have been quite the journey, to say the least. There have been numerous positive memories, as well as some that were not so great. Nevertheless, I have learned more about myself than I ever could have imagined. I’ve also formed great academic relationships and friendships with many professors, particularly throughout the history and psychology departments. Starting off on Longden 2, I formed friendships that continue to thrive today; we, along with the residents of Longden 3, we created a community. This community consisted of a diverse support and party group. We could always have fun together, but in times of need, we had each other’s backs. Reflecting upon the L2, L3 connection brings me to the point of why my time here is up.
Students cannot do anything alone. No matter how much we support one another, if we do not have the entire DePauw community on board, nothing will ever get done. Faculty and administration, this is directed toward you. While there are many members of the faculty and administration who are in support of breaking the “DePauw tradition” (which I thought was the case when “Uncommon Success” was no longer the motto, but I digress), there are so many more who continue to hinder true progress. Very true, I am ecstatic about the fact that on May 4, 2015, the faculty actually approved to add in an International Experience as well as a Privilege, Power and Diversity component (a decision finally agreed upon over fifteen years after it was first introduced). However, after that forward push, the momentum stopped, and no other curricular changes were made, with the argument being that there needed to be more discussion before any additional changes could be made. While I did find some of the points of argument valid, I could not help but think, “It took numerous years for this one change to be made. How much longer will it take for any other changes to be made? What about co-curricular addendums to the changes that were made; will they take another fifteen years to be decided upon?”
I love DePauw, and I value my experience, but change has to be made. The university has to stop with the CMA (Cover My A**) moves, and really listen to its students. Furthermore, the university needs to take a leap of faith at least once every blue moon and trust students’ judgment. We ALL want to feel as though DePauw is our home. This is why I fought; I fought for a sense of home for myself and, even more so, for those who are coming and will be coming after me. However, my time here is up. I wasn’t able to get everything that I wanted out of the university during my time here, but I am proud of the strides I did make. I am also proud of the next generation of leaders who will continue to fight for their places within this institution. Although my time here is up doesn’t mean that this is the last you will hear from me. The voices of DePauw alum are just as important as those of current students. I encourage all members of the class of 2015 to be heard.