An Unwelcome Message

Well, for once I am writing an opinionated blog post. I took a break from my desk in the English Office to visit the ladies' room, only to find an unsettling flyer taped to the door.

It read: "Food For Thought: Did you get into Skidmore because you're smart, or did Mommy and Daddy buy your admission? Think about this the next time you question whether students receiving financial aid deserve to be here."

I almost tore the damn thing down. Now, I am attending Skidmore on financial aid. A LOT of financial aid, without which I would certainly not be here. I am under the impression that I am receiving this aid because my family is in a situation of financial need and, perhaps, because I have maintained a 4.0 as long as I've been here. Sentiments like the one on that flyer make me sick. I do not need some anonymous outside party to defend my right to be at Skidmore; I'm confident that my past academic achievement got me here, and that my current academic achievement places me on a top rung here.

But what really gets me is that an attacking message like that sparks anger on both sides of the divide. I do not like to think that lots of students are here just because of the wealth of their parents. I like to think that Skidmore accepts students based on academic achievement, as all college should. But if I were a student from a wealthy family, a flyer like that would most definitely NOT make me think twice - it would make me angry. The simple fact that a student's parents are wealthy by no means indicates that the student isn't smart, or that the student is just getting a free ride based on their parents' income tax bracket.

If you're a student on financial aid, one sure way to get people to question whether you deserve to be here is by attacking other students who you have never met and probably, because you are probably classist, will never meet. Class generalizations go both ways, Skidmore - your assumption that a wealthy student is stupid or doesn't deserve to be here is just as bad as, if not worse than, the (supposed!) assumption of wealthy students that you do not deserve to be here. Honestly, such a message is a declaration of class warfare; sentiments like that draw a dramatic and uncrossable line between classes, barring communication and understanding while encouraging broad generalizations, bias, and outright hatred. If you don't want generalizations and unfair assumptions made about you, don't make unfair assumptions about others; don't make enemies out of your classmates.

In any case, if you're the kind of person who would put up such a nasty flyer, maybe you don't deserve to be here. You should know better, Skidmore.