Today's freshmen have new technology, but same values
Students returned in droves recently to college campuses around the country, many of them carrying laptops, iPads and other high-tech gadgets they use in the classroom or to pass the time. Unlike their predecessors from generations gone by, today's students can access information and answers with a click of a mouse or from numerous mobile devices and apps.
It's obvious that there are generation gaps when our new college freshmen talk to their parents or grandparents about their college years, popular culture and other issues of the day. The class of 2014, for example, may not realize that when I point to my wrist I am asking for the time of day because everyone carries a cell phone and most do not own wristwatches. Many of them believe Fergie is a pop singer and not a duchess, and they probably regard Clint Eastwood as a sensitive director and do not associate him with his Dirty Harry character. A lot of freshmen think DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed or that toothpaste has always stood on its top.
These same students have also never worried about a Russian missile strike or known of Czechoslovakia as a country. To them, Honda has always been a major competitor at the Indianapolis 500.
Beloit College's annual "Mindset List'' provided us with this interesting snapshot into the views of this younger generation. Clearly, these new collegians have experienced life differently than most adults. They were half their current age when the Twin Towers were destroyed, and the war in Iraq has occupied much of their lifetime. The digital age is second nature to them and, while many parents relied on their children to program their VCR, many freshmen may not even knows what one is.
Despite our obvious differences, I also believe that we have more in common than one might think. The class of 2014 has adapted well to the values that most Americans hold dear. It has been my experience that this class, and some of their most recent peers, has deep respect for the individual. They do not dwell much on differences between people, but rather look for commonalities. The freshmen attending Misericordia University and millions of their counterparts tend to hold racial equality as a given and seek friends out, regardless of their background, ethnic origins or religion.
The class of 2014 also believes in giving back. Many enter college with a history of volunteerism, often initiated through their churches, synagogues and mosques, but also through their high schools and various service and youth groups. Among our first-year students there seems to be a genuine desire to seek out and support those who need help. On the other hand, there is a genuine disregard for those who cannot bring themselves to give back to their communities.
Relationships are obviously important to first-year students, but, unlike succeeding generations, there seems to be less pairing up among freshmen. Rather, they tend to be more group-oriented in their day-to-day activities. They study and work together, and hang out together. All of this represents a promising trend for a future workplace where teamwork is not only expected, but demanded.
The class of 2014 is not naive. Even though the Roosevelt Administration is ancient history to them, they recognize that they are entering college at what they, and all of us, hope is the tail end of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s. They are hard working; most hold at least one job on campus and often an additional one off campus. They are competitive as athletes, but cooperative as people. They are willing to work hard and yet willing to share. For the most part, they are open to new ideas, but hold firm to the values that have made our communities and our country strong.
While the class of 2014 may have never seen a carousel or 35 mm slides, they bring with them to college a set of ideals that is endearing and, in many ways, reminiscent of the values that have made our communities strong in the past and will in the future, too. Our new collegians may not wear wristwatches, but they are very much aware of the tempo of our times.
(MacDowell is president of Misericordia University in Dallas Pa., where he used excerpts of this editorial for his address to the class of 2014 and their families at Misericordia's opening day convocation ceremony. )
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