Summer on campus is more relaxed and less hectic than the fall schedule when days are filled with running from meetings to guest speakers to club events. Daily life is more personal and we have the chance to break out of the three J-Term clusters and intermingle with the entire program.
However, too many of us fall into the trap of thinking that building a network of our peers is synonymous with creating a community of our peers. Instead of being an aspiration, creating community has quickly become a buzzword or an empty cliché. But every one of us at CBS has the chance to build more than just a world-class network; we have the opportunity to become a member of a family. This summer we can jump-start that process.
We are making a concerted effort to break down the cluster barriers and fully integrate everyone in the J-Term into one big community. Events in the spring semester, such as Cluster Cup and core classes, revolved around our small cluster groups. However, this summer those lines are dissolving and we are planning all activities — Friday soccer anyone? — for the entire community of J-Term students.
Community is about more than the person standing to your right and the person to your left when you graduate, it is about creating a sense of belonging where you can feel a part of something greater than yourself. Camaraderie and loyalty that extends to anyone who shares the CBS experience is the foundation for developing the lifetime community as well as growing a strong brand.
Though we come from diverse backgrounds and all have different goals and dreams, no matter where we go in life we all forever be linked to each other through our time here at the School.
As a member of the Class of 2010, and a January-start student, I look forward to welcoming the returning class, alumni, newly admitted students, faculty and staff. Our experiences together this summer, and until we graduate next May, create a community that brings the words on paper for the Community Contract to life.
Photo courtesy Office of Student Affairs
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