"Richard Levin eats dog #$*@!"
No, this is not my personal opinion. I overheard this particular statement being discussed by two union members on strike. They were trying to put these words to song.
Now, I've never met President Levin, and I've never seen him either. But I'm pretty sure that this statement isn't true. I would venture to guess that this statement isn't true for most people, Yale Administrators or not. It is statements like this that I hear every day on my way to class. If my mother ever heard some of the language that they use, she'd chase them down with a bar of soap. Or possibly a steel-wool sponge.
That's not the only incident, however. Recently, as I was rushing up Science Hill for my all-important chem exam, I saw a large group of picketers ahead, completely blocking off the sidewalk. It was snowing and cold, and I just wanted to get by, so I said "excuse me." Completely immersed in learning the fundamentals of the kazoo, however, none of the picketers heard me. I tried a little louder, but still no response. Finally, I summoned up my full vocal abilities and yelled, "EXCUSE ME!" The entire group turned and glared at me, and then moved aside. As I was walking by, one of the members said behind me, "Yale students are just as rude as the Administration."
The truth is, I'm not anti-union. Quite frankly, I don't feel knowledgeable enough to form an honest opinion about the situation. I do have sympathy for the underprivileged and underpaid. But I do not have any sympathy for the picketer who walks into me on the sidewalk, bumps me into the snow, and does not even say "excuse me" or "I'm sorry." And when incidents such as these occur, the only honest opinion or feeling I have is an intense desire to turn to the picketer and say, "You don't like the Administration, you don't like the undergrads, and you don't like your job-so please, just leave and go someplace else."
Now, I don't know what the opinion of a lowly undergrad means in all of this. I would venture to guess that it doesn't mean that much. But recently, undergrads have been accused of not caring enough about, and generally being apathetic to the unions' situation. This is ironic when it seems evident that the union members don't care what we, as undergrads, hear or see when we walk past them everyday. I can understand the whistles, the chants, and all the honking (although I admit that they are very annoying when one is trying to take an exam).
At first, I admired their perseverance and their loyalty to their cause. Now, I am disgusted by their actions and their language. It may be wrong to equate their actions with their demands, or to judge the whole by the few. But in a situation as nebulous as this has become, what stands out most is the profanity and the harassment.
If integrity is determined by respect, and respect is earned by one's actions and words, I believe that both the unions and the Administration have lost a great deal of respect in many people's eyes. It is this loss of respect that causes students to become simply fed up with the entire situation and ignore the picketers. It is this lack of respect that causes students to resent the union members they pass on the street, in much the same way that students resented the boycotters on Broadway last semester. And it is this loss of respect that causes students to simply throw away the contract-negotiation updates they receive, and to wish for that $105 check every week.
I do not believe apathy is a healthy attitude. However, students have been scolded enough for what is a natural response when one loses respect for those around them and the battle for which they are fighting. If students are expected to form opinions, cross or not cross picket lines, or voice their concerns, then they are at least entitled to a position that they can respect. Lately, respect seems to be the one word that no one will say out loud.
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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