UNTIL the day I became one, I always found graduate students to be a rather odd breed. Constantly harried, with a pronounced tendency toward world-weariness and addiction to near lethal levels of caffeine, my graduate school friends tended to be as much fodder for undergraduate jokes as they were mentors to whom I would turn for advice. Obviously, now that the shoe is on the other foot things are less amusing.
Still, despite the different circumstances, I am distressed there is a vast chasm between the University's undergraduate and graduate spheres. While there may be some very valid reasons for the current state of affairs, I firmly believe that both the graduate and undergraduate communities only can benefit from greater interaction.
I recognize, of course, the distance between North Grounds and Central Grounds serves as a natural barrier. Unlike their undergraduate counterparts, Law and Darden students cannot take a casual jaunt to the Rotunda or Lawn.
Moreover, because of their narrower focus, most graduate programs can be highly insular. The intensity and sheer volume of the course material practically prescribes that graduate students spend a significant amount of time ensconced in specialized libraries.
Further, this insularity tends to spill over into graduate students' social activities as well. For example, Law students tend to socialize largely with their own section or at best with other members of the Law School community. After all, it is easier to commiserate with individuals who know the sort of pressures you are undergoing.
I suspect both groups are simply wary of one another. Graduate students often find it difficult to explain their unique pressures to undergraduate students, while undergraduate students, feeling they have little in common, may find it tiresome to understand their graduate compatriots.
The current limited interaction between undergraduate and graduate students is hardly a welcome state of affairs. Indeed, for graduate students, interaction with the greater University community is eminently desirable. "Being on North Grounds, I feel like it may be common for us to get caught up in our own affairs and forget we're living part of an incredible tradition in higher education," Law student Brian Park said. "The University is rich in tradition, and I feel like a portion of that may be lost to many of us because of our remote location."
Undergraduate students also have an interest in greater social interaction with their graduate compatriots. "I enjoy interacting with grad students in both a personal and formal setting," fourth-year College student Lauren Simenauer said. "By virtue of having completed their undergraduate education, they are more knowledgeable, more mature, and more diverse than undergraduates, and therefore have more interesting perspectives on life and academia to offer."
Clearly, at least some individuals on both sides of the academic divide would welcome greater contact but are frustrated by the lack of opportunities for meaningful interaction. The various student organizations that are such a vital part of the University community can play a significant role in helping break down the social barriers between graduate and undergraduate students.
For example, by actively recruiting members from outside the undergraduate or graduate sphere, as appropriate, organizations can increase the diversity and utility of their membership. Indeed, although not true for all organizations, many undergraduate groups actively would benefit from graduate participation in a purely advisory capacity.
Furthermore, general interaction between undergraduate and graduate students, once sparked by student organizations, can help to make these various organizations more reflective of the University as a whole. Although obviously this mode of interaction is inappropriate for some organizations such as the Darden Student Association, for many groups it could be a way of spreading their influence to the far-flung corners of the University.
Some student organizations are leading the way by transcending the boundaries between the undergraduate and graduate communities. Particularly noteworthy in this regard is the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, an organization of which I am a member. The Society makes a major effort to reach out beyond its undergraduate base to embrace the various graduate schools. Other examples include the University Judiciary Committee and the Honor Committee, which explicitly include both undergraduate and graduate students in both their leadership and support apparatuses. The Cavalier Daily, as this writer can attest, also encourages graduate student participation.
Yet a lot more can be done. Many other student organizations, whether undergraduate or graduate school-based, surely would benefit from being more inclusive. Graduate students would enjoy greater exposure to students outside their limited area of study. And with greater connection to University culture, undergraduates could gain important and experienced mentors within their field of interests. The University has a large and incredibly talented student body. It seems a waste not to encourage as much interaction between its members as possible.
Sanjiv Tata is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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