It has been nearly two months now since Pat Donahue launched mytigertalk.com to mixed reviews. Some people found the concept of an open, online student forum appealing, while others dismissed the effort as a waste of time. Over these six weeks, the site has evolved to become a more organized, more appealing venue for debate, discussion, and the e-shenanigans of the Trinity student body. Because the site has no official relationship with the school, students can freely post their issues and concerns with the school and campus life without fear of retribution, not to mention the myriad of other topics from politics to sex open for opining. This, I think, is a wonderful development that the willing should embrace and build upon. Although there are many who contribute in a substantive way, the site’s potential has not nearly been met. The capabilities of a university forum to gain recognition from the school itself can be seen at other institutions, where such sites have eventually earned the respect of administrators, professors, and staff. Are we there yet?
In a post on Dean Tuttle’s blog entitled “My Tiger Talk Odyssey”, our Dean of students discusses his experiences with the site. In his post, Dean Tuttle praises many aspects of the site, while also bemoaning certain elements of the forum. He likes how the site is set up, and finds some posts to be substantive. However, he also thinks that “It’s maddening, crude, lacks reason, is bereft of substance, and is misogynistic”. The Dean’s reactions are fair in many cases. Some people do take advantage of the anonymity the site provides to take personal shots at the Dean. But I do think that the Dean should consider the site’s potential to make him more accessible. Such an accessible Dean Tuttle would be a huge drawing point to the University. Any Dean at any college faces significant opposition in the student body– they are the rule makers and students are the rule breakers. This relationship carries with it a great deal of tension. But if we can get our attention beyond the morons, beyond the pretend Dean Tuttle posts, we can use this site to have dynamic and open discussions about all things Trinity with all members of our community, including our Dean. Since Dean Tuttle is willing to engage in this discussion as well, his relationship with the student body is limited only by our involvement. Choosing this avenue of communication will only promote greater clarity and understanding on all aspects on life in the bubble.
The Dean also charges that the site can be viewed as the opposite of information literacy; I think it is the essence. We could focus on the poorly written, ill-conceived posts and threads that will always exist, or we can focus on the ever growing number of intelligent conversations that are appearing on the site. As long as the negative is used as an excuse not to respect the site, ignorance will be fostered. If we attempt to engage the capabilities of the site, give the morons the sparse attention they deserve, and focus on improvement, there is much to be gained.
It is understandable that the Dean may be turned off by personal attacks, and we can blame ourselves if the Dean never answers us again. True to the site and true to the principal of free expression, we are in the end responsible for what this site has been, what it is, and what it could become. It is essential that we never compromise our desire to have an open and critical forum, even if there are some negative results. It is only our job to express and to express as well as we can. If we do that, the site will improve. If we do not, the site will certainly die once Mr. Donahue graduates. In true tiger talk fashion, the choice is yours to make.
