Newly-installed University President Drew G. Faust is probably going to hold down Mass Hall for a very long time. Good for her.
But you have to admit, last Friday’s inauguration was fairly miserable. If you are not a member of the Faust family, a Faust family friend, or Mephistopheles himself, there was probably little for you to enjoy on such a wet and nasty day.
I spent an hour soaked in the pomp and circumstance of Tercentenary Theater (most bootleg theater ever, btdubs!). I was shivering half of the time, praying for short speeches the other half of the time, and being shushed by my neighbors for praying too loudly the other half of the time.
As I made my way back towards the river Houses, I spotted Maya D. Simpson ’11 on the steps of Widener Library.
She wore her usual uniform and body language: agitprop T-shirt, one elbow defiantly jutting out from the hip. She looked angry, so I went over to talk to her.
Why so cross, Maya? Harvard just installed its first-ever female president!
“I’ll tell you why,” she responded through gritted teeth. “I woke up this morning and thought, Look how far we’ve come as an institution. What a great day to be a woman. Then I actually listened to her speech...”
I’ll agree with you there. Maybe next time Faust becomes president of something, instead of enlightening everyone for 10 minutes about the history of inauguration speeches, she’ll actually deliver a legit speech.
“It’s not that,” Maya said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Where was her fire? Where was her outrage? This is one seriously messed-up world we’re living in. We’ve got AIDS in Africa, blood for oil in Iraq, and repressed monks in Burma. She didn’t talk about any of that stuff.”
I’m sure Faust will tackle all of those problems eventually. Probably right after she brings peace to Israel and Palestine and figures out how to get cable TV in all of our dorm rooms.
“It just makes me sick that we’re the richest college in the world, and the smartest people in the world, and nobody seems to give a damn about anything.”
Have a little faith! There are faculty and students here doing some amazing things. We don’t hear about them too often, but I’m moderately certain that they are actually happening. Besides, you’ve got to be part of the solution.
Her eyes lit up. “I’ve joined about eight clubs in the one month that I’ve been here. I haven’t yet decided on my favorite global crisis. But when I do, rest assured that I will give it my all.”
I have no doubt of that. I see you’ve got a sign tucked under your arm there.
“Oh this?” Maya asked, holding up a flimsy piece of foam board. “It’s double-sided. This side says, End the genocide in Darfur!”
And the other side?
She flipped the sign over: “Bring back our UC party grants! What, you expect me to survive freshman year without being able to drink at the Quad?”
