Hi...if you've stumbled onto this site, welcome.  A quick intro, the name's Dan, 24, Wash U class of '03, have written several articles in Stud Life and self-published a book called College Daze about higher education and my experiences at Wash U.

Please go to www.xanga.com/dansjournal and leave a comment.  I am interested in speaking to people with ties to Wash U., and an interest in how to improve the culture and education of the school, as well as simply discussing issues related to education, culture, college, learning, jobs, mental health....

-dan

Also, feel free to e-mail me at dan_lilienthal@yahoo.com

If you're not a xanga member, it takes 2min. to register, then you can leave comments!!!

Lateral Thinking – A Laxative for the Constipated Mind

            I’m staring at the blinking dash on the screen, indicating, “keep typing you son-of-a-bitch.”  Writers block, or rather, writers flood?  Scratch that… “thinkers flood.”  We’re thinkers first; writing is just an extension of the mind.

A friend of mine once commented on how my writing had improved since college.  Strange I thought, considering I hadn’t benefited from any writing classes since college, the workshops, or the red pen.  I don’t believe my knowledge of writing, or my writing “skills” have actually changed since college.  What has changed, however, is my thinking, which is therefore reflected in my writing.

I have discovered (a personal discovery that may not apply to any world outside of my own), that there are no rules to writing.  No rules to thinking.  There’s only tools and strategies with different goals in mind.  For example, we’re taught tools of logic, of emotional persuasion, of structure and organization, and above all, we’re always reminded to consider our audience.  For example, as students, we often insert a student voice to appeal to a professor’s ears.  As academics, we tend to focus on data and technical language, removing our personal lives and experiences from the equation.  In this sense, while college provides us with certain tools, we sacrifice freedom in both our thinking and writing in the process.  We build a bubble in the mind. 

            In my last article, “Washington University: In St. Louis, or an island of its own?” I noted how several national organizations that study higher education have revealed disconnect between what colleges teach, and what students need for their lives.  These organizations affirmed the general feelings amongst students nationwide, that college is often a collection of disjointed classes that tally up to a diploma.  Only on a small scale have they begun to address the missing connection between higher education and its relationship to the community.  While simultaneously preaching the need for higher education because of what students are learning, and the urgent need for reform because of what they’re not, the leaders in higher education fail to make the blunt conclusion, that colleges are bubbles to the real world. 

            It’s this idea of the bubble that we’re after.  But, what does it mean, really?  Perhaps we can better understand the bubble by considering its opposite, “a bubble burst.”  After bursting the college bubble, we’re flooded with concepts like “thinking outside the box,” or “lateral thinking.”  These are the ideas I want to explore. 

            Born in Malta in 1933, Edward de Bono is credited with coining the term lateral thinking.  With a background in psychology and physiology, he has written extensively about deliberate thinking tools that can be used to actively produce creativity in people.  As an applied psychologist, his interests include the numerous human and political problems our societies face, however he is less interested in their causes than our inability, or perhaps our unwillingness, to question the primary assumptions in any given situation, thus freeing ourselves to think our way through problems with lateral thinking. 

            De Bono explains how lateral thinking is necessary to provide something our society has generally lacked – a method for changing ideas.  Articles upon articles have been written addressing various problems regarding the college bubble.  I’ve been responsible for many of them.  Ultimately, the failure of these articles to be more than food for thought, demonstrates another bubble.  The bubble of being a critic.  The essence of being a critic is not in the criticism, but in the desire for the criticism to go away.  For example, I was told a story of a young girl who volunteered one day in a soup kitchen.  She enjoyed the experience very much, and remarked, “I hope there are still soup kitchens to volunteer in when I have kids.”  Obviously this young girl did not mean she wanted there to be a perpetual need for soup kitchens, but this example reflects the need for lateral thinking to address the numerous sicknesses of our modern society.  It’s not enough to change minds, if the writing on the page always looks the same. 

               As Edward de Bono once wrote, we can use lateral thinking as a laxative for those who have constipated minds that they wish to free.  We have plenty of meaty ideas to chew on, what we now need is the fiber to loosen those ideas from dogma and rigidity.  Or, to propose a de Bono-esque slogan that expresses the need for lateral thinking:

A lot of ideas doesn’t mean shit.

So, let me offer something new, something lateral.  For the many out there who I know want to discuss this, I believe a solution may lie for us in the internet.  Blogging may be the key to bursting through all sorts of bubbles, and addressing all sorts of problems.  Thanks to the internet and weblogs, we have a whole new way of collectively addressing these issues.  We can quite literally read minds, having conversations with people we’ve never spoken to and tapping into their ideas.  We can build relationships with strangers, post thoughts on a whim, and have an audience that comes and goes as it needs, but keeps a continuous conversation going. 

            to add some fiber to this conversation, visit: www.xanga.com/abetterwashu

Dan Lilienthal

Class of 2003

Topic: A Deeper Intoduction to the origins of this site...

Hi everyone, it's Dan, the host of the site.  I created this yesturday, and we've already had over 10 hits, so obviously, people are spreading the word.  I might not have internet access the next 5 days (I'm beginning a new job as an Outward Bound instructor in Baltimore), and I know Wash U. has spring break coming up, so, there might be some reason to believe that this early momentum will cool off.  So...I'm writing this post to make sure this picks up even more.

I think a little introduction is in order.  I graduated from Wash U. in '03.  I loved most of my 4 years there, but, as my senior year rolled around, I began to really question certain parts of my experience.  I began as a b-schooler, and after two years thought to myself, "my classes are boring, my professors seem indifferent, there's almost no class discussion, nobody ever wants to go to class, and not only am I learning almost nothing practical, but this is probably the complete opposite of what I thought college would be like!" 

So...after those two years, I did the unthinkable, and transferred OUT of the b-school and into Arts & Sciences.  I figured there was more to college than having an easy ride in the b-school, and I also began thinking, "Why do I want to do business anyways?"  My junior year proved to be a bit more interesting, argumentation writing I loved, and I took a law class taught by the now-former dean of the law school, Prof. Seligman, and that class was really good. 

Before I knew it...I was abroad in London 2nd semester junior year.  Won't go into details except it was the best experience academically and socially (not because the school environment was any different than wash u., but every second out of the classroom was a learning experience, and there's always cool things to do when you're abroad).

So...now i'm back for my senior year.  I'm now just a pawn in the system, required to take courses "I have to take."  How wonderful!!!  Well...most of this year I spent enjoying life and friends as much as possible, but, at the same time, really starting to think about education, and why it always tends to be boring, unengaging.  I realized I was a poli sci major and really knew so little about actual politics.  I realized that my group of friends was this small bubble, comprised almost entirely of people the exact age as myself, who, like myself, were mostly unengaged academically (and unengaged to any issues beyond what we should make for dinner, what kind of beer should we get, and who was the best at "Bond," on Play Station 2).  At that time, I had only two professors who I'd ever really spoken to, the rest were as anonymous to me as strangers. My knowledge of anything outside of the tiny community of friends I had created, was limited to places of leisure. 

While everyone around me was thinking and feeling the same way, nobody really got as frustrated as me.  I've always been one to question things, and it seemed all around me people were fine w/ going to class (even if they would fall asleep or doodle the whole time), to write papers (even if they were essentially summarizing arguments from books and coming up w/ nothing original are self-thought), and cramming for tests (which in the b-school meant coming up w/ legal cheat sheets, otherwise, just cramming so we could forget it the next day). 

Something was terribly wrong w/ this entire system.  And to think, this is one of the most expensive and "prestigious" universities in America.

There was one bright spot on my senior year that stands out, and that's Prof. Smith's class, "Human Evolution."  In his last lecture, where the classroom was overflowing w/ past and current students, he offered a challenge.  He was speaking about the bleak future of the environment, and said, "After a while you begin to get angry, and then after you get angry, you will act to do something about it."  He was talking about political and civic action, and went on, "the only place change will take place, is at the college level."

Man-oh-man...he pumped up that classroom!!!  People gave him a standing ovation, some literally cried.  There were students standing at the door after class trying to organize a club, "save the world 101."  People were talking about the lecture for a couple of days, talking about how they wanted to make a difference in the world.

And then it stopped.  And I was expecting this.  The sharp peak in motivation, followed by the gravitational pull of routine and the status quo.  I thought to myself, "What crap," and tried to figure out the meaning of this experience.

After speaking w/ a few classmates, I decided I needed to write something for Stud Life.  If you click on that link, you should get the article that I spent 6 weeks trying to write.  It involved a lot of soul searching, and a lot of courage to submit it.  After it was published, it was like breaking through a wall, and I've been searching, writing, and publishing ever since.

Ultimately...the theme of that first article was the importance of action.  More than the environment, the theme I got from Prof. Smith's lecture was about change, why we need it, and how we must truly invest in it, not simply wish for it.  My next few articles predominatnly focussed on Wash U. and all the problems I had experienced, along w/ what I saw as practical solutions. 

Ultimately...the lesson learned there was "writing does not accomplish change."  You might change minds, but, the goal of my writing was always much bigger and much more tangible than that.

So...I thought I should do something bigger...so I actually self-published a book, called College Daze.  That brought me back to Wash U. this fall, where I met many students, professors, and deans, who were in complete agreement w/ a lot of what I had to say, and had many of their own thoughts about the Wash U community.  This experience was highly affirming...I knew I was doing the right thing.  But still...my objective was change.

Ultimately...I realized that more important than "Creating a better Wash U" was to get a discussion going, to organize like-minded people.  Unfortunately...I never got to that step this fall, but, I have found some key "allies," I think, and I believe many of those are the ones reading this site now, as well as hopefully some people who don't know me.

This...I hope, will be my last push (I've become mentally drained w/ the hope that my ideas would provide a spark for something bigger), but, at the same time, I hope this will be the initial push that really does spread the flame.  Actually...a better image for this, I think, would be a boulder a-top a mountain.  I'm hoping that this xanga-site and whatever comes of it will bring together enough will power to get the boulder rolling.  Because once that happens, we've got ourselves a grassroots movement that should know no bounds!!!

So...now, the only measure of success are the comments we get.  So, please sign-up for a xanga-site if you haven't already, it's free and very easy.  I don't want to limit the discussion in anyway, but, I'll try to always provide some talking points, to make sure things are progressing.  So, let me ask a few questions:

What led you to this site?

What are your initial thoughts regarding either of the first two posts on this site (including the Political Review article)?

What are your frustrations of Wash U? / What do you feel is missing from your experience at the school?

What are your thoughts on this project?  On the site in general as a way to spark discussion?

How excited are you by this?  Mildly curious, very interested, or, Oh my god...it's about time we had something like this?

How big can this site become?  Will it not make it past week one, or will it last till the end of the year?  Will its visitors stay in double digits, or make its way into the consciousness of everyone at Wash U?

What else is on your mind?

Since right now i'm the only person who can create posts, I leave this project to all of you out there to LEAVE COMMENTS!!!  This is everyone's conversation to have, so if I don't get a chance to post till next weekend, I expect there to be a little something starting to grow.  If you have time, feel free (I'd recommend it) to build your own personal xanga site, so you can have more control over content.

Have a good week everyone!!!

 Welcome to the first post of a new online forum dedicated to creating a better Wash U.  The following is an article that can be found in this week's Wash U Political Review paper on campus...followed with some brief background on the larger purpose of this article, and what will hopefully evolve from this site!!! 

Washington University: In St. Louis, or an island of it’s own? 

For all the talk about “the Wash U Bubble”, it is disappointing how little discussion there is of how to improve the student body’s general lack of knowledge and concern for the “outside world”.So, for those of you interested in creating a better learning community at Wash U., here’s some ammo to get you interested.

The National Survey of Student Engagement just came out with their 5^th annual report (http://www.indiana.edu/~nsse/html/report-2004.shtml).The data includes 160,000 first-year and senior students randomly sampled from more than 470 institutions, and highlights the relationships between educational practice and aspects of students’ success.Under the category, “disappointing findings,” they note, “Two-fifths of first-year students and a quarter of seniors ‘NEVER’ discuss ideas from their classes or readings with a faculty member outside of class.”In another report, “Greater Expectations,” (www.greaterexpectations.org), The American Association of Colleges and Universities notes, “change is urgently needed.Even as college attendance is rising, the performance of too many students is faltering.”In a section about barriers to excellence, the report states, “a college degree more frequently certifies completion of disconnected fragments than of a coherent plan for student accomplishment.”It’s interesting to note that a reason attributed to the increase in college students, “the world is complex, turbulent, and more reliant on knowledge than ever before,” makes little sense as the students attending college are disengaged because, “educational practices invented when higher education served only the few are increasingly disconnected from the needs of contemporary students.”

In the fall of 2003, I conducted a student survey of my own at Wash U titled, “Rate your educational experience,” and rather than bombard you with data, I will display the people behind the numbers, as noted in their open ended comments: “[College] gets in the way of learning about the real world.  Lack of relevancy.  Outside the classroom is where most of the learning gets done in terms of personal growth.” “I feel that by attending a prestigious college, I will have a better chance at success after college.  However, I think this has more to do with the fact I attended the college, not what I learned.”“I often feel as if education has become more about grades and less about the actual knowledge you graduate with."And my favorite: “Too expensive.  Hounded by money.  Inadequate career prep.  Indifferent professors.  Grub was good.”

The problem is real, but the lack of discussion makes me pessimistic that students, professors, and administrators will begin to take on the innovative tasks necessary to engage students.I understand there are many students who are frustrated by their learning experience at Wash U., but out of apathy or other social pressures, they prefer to keep their criticisms personal, rather than voice them.I have also spoken to several deans and professors on this campus, and was somewhat surprised to learn of their similar concerns about the educational climate at this school.However, faculty voice in campus publications is almost non-existent.One unfortunate reason for a silent faculty is the fear of losing their jobs or political positioning amongst other faculty.

This silence amongst students and faculty concerns me, not only because it prevents the necessary dialogue to bring forth changes that can enhance student engagement academically, but the silence also has an unintentional effect of creating bad habits of political and civic engagement.The habits of keeping institutional criticisms to ourselves rather than made public (whether out of fear or apathy), as well as allowing media to create an appearance that things are well when they are not, or dedicating themselves to sensationalist news rather than addressing the most critical issues of the day, are grave threats to our democracy.Universities such as Wash U. need to consciously create intentional environments that will promote both students and faculty alike to be engaged in school affairs, as well as in civic and political affairs outside of the college bubble.

Without serious discussion between all the affected parties, it is of no use for me to argue for a more progressive educational climate.It is of no use for me to argue the benefits of increased service learning (an emphasis at Portland State University), a de-emphasis on grading in favor of written evaluations (practiced at Prescott University), student taught courses for credit on various topics of student interest, from the Simpsons, to Social Security (practiced at UC Berkeley), encouraging entering freshman to take a year off to mature before college (practiced at Harvard), a willingness to give credit for experiential learning (practiced at Antioch College), school wide emphasis on social justice (practiced at Evergreen State College, or to reverse the trend of Creating barriers to dissuade and prevent students’ access to the widest of study abroad opportunities (practiced at Wash U).  The important thing is that this school, one of the wealthiest and most well respected in the country, recognize the need for some serious self-reflection.

It shouldn’t be hard to see how wealth and prestige does not automatically create a healthy educational environment of engaged students, just as it shouldn’t be hard to see how the same applies for our country.The relationship between higher education and politics runs quite deep, and improving the system of higher education can not only serve as a model for how to affect positive change outside of the college bubble, but ultimately, what happens (or doesn’t happen) on campus is intimately tied to society at large.Your average Wash U student doesn’t read a newspaper, doesn’t follow politics, is unaware of the realities of the city in which they reside, and is therefore wet clay, free to be moldedand shaped by those in power.What’s worse, they’re also able to be molded by each and every class they take in college.From b-schoolers (you think they realize when they’re being taught right-wing economic theory?), to psych majors (are they being shown how corporate America benefits from pushing materialism on people, and then by pushing medication to solve the ensuing depression Americans experience?), to education majors (are they aware that they are not being exposed to or taught about such progressive forms of education as expeditionary learning?), and even political science majors (are they aware that liberal professors dominate conservative professors 9 to 1 nationwide?), all students are affected.

It was only in my last year of college that I really began questioning the educational institution I had been a part of for 16 years.And I’ve come to realize, it doesn’t matter whether or not the system is set up to keep people ignorant, or whether the system was designed to disengage students so they would obey, rather than question, authority.(One explanation I’ve heard for the current direction of higher education is that after the Russians launched Sputnik in 1958, the United States put large resources into the maths and sciences to keep up in the Cold War weapons race, essentially demoting the idea of a liberal arts education and all it stands for, into the shadows of much educational rhetoric today).The bottom line is, there is no question a school like Wash U. is not doing half the job it should (and could) be doing to engage its students and help them to see their role as informed and responsible citizens.The only question left is who else wants to talk about this?

by: Dan Lilienthal, Wash U class of '03

personal journal: www.xanga.com/dansjournal

Well...it wasn't long before someone decided that they wanted to further discuss this:

"I just finished reading your article in the WU Political Review, and I
can't believe how right you are!!!!

I'm a freshman in the Engineering School here at WU.  And though I am
still a freshman, I have already experienced much of the
apathy/reservation that exists towards challenging authority and
causing a
stir.

So how do we fix the problem of apathy of students and proffessors here
on
campus???  I'm guessing that since you seem to have done your research,
you may already have some ideas and are looking for students who will
be
enthusiastic about helping you with them?  I would be interested to
hear
your ideas.

I would also be interested to know if you have written more on this
subject?  If so, how can we get these articles passed on to more
people,
students and proffessors alike?  What can we do to help this situation?"

Well...this is what I've come up with to help this situation.  A site for those who want to talk about things.  A site for those who want more as students, and more as professors.  A site for those who just want a democratic place to voice their opinion, w/out having to go through an editorial board.  Here's your place to call home!

What is the vision for this site?  If you haven't heard of Aaron Karo, he was a student at UPenn a few years ago, and he began writing comical thoughts about his college days.  It wasn't long before students around the world were tuning in to hear what he had to say.

Well...that's my hope here.  Not for everyone to hear what I have to say, but for everyone to hear what everyone else has to say about Wash U.  At least until we get a listserve up, I hope to use this site specifically for the Wash U community (not exculding others, just limiting the content to the specific issue of improving Wash U).  I want everyone on campus up to Chancellor Wrighton to know about this site. 

In order for people to leave comments, you need to sign-up w/ xanga, which literally take 1-2min., the only info you give is your e-mail, you can remain perfectly anonymous if you want.  This may not prove to be the best way to do an online forum, but I think it'll be a good way to get the ball rolling, and it really is an easy way for anyone to put in their 2 cents. 

Unlike a listserve where anyone can post a topic, I will be running this site.  People will be able to create their own dialogues on their own sites, but I will try to make this site a central focus, and to moderate in a way that keeps things focussed on whatever issue is being discussed. 

This is also easier than sending mass e-mails to everyone, so you can view this site whenever you wish.  I think it'd be good to gather e-mails of people so we can send out monthly updates of what's being discussed, and as a useful way of spreading the word.  Here's where your suggestions and input will be most helpful.

There's an incredibly large number of people in the Wash U. community who have views on the health of the community.  If you found yourself agreeing with even a few parts of the above article, you're certainly not alone.  Now...for the first time ever (I wish this was around when I was a student), you don't have to feel as though you're alone, or as though you're helpless. 

So...start leaving some comments, and start forwarding this site to your friends.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfu people can change the world.  Indeed, its the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead