Individuality on a Small Campus

In a society where globalization and innovation are the brainchildren of the future, expressing individuality is more pertinent than ever before.  To thrive and survive does not mean being in a whirlwind of pedestrians and following their every move, though – it means standing out among that twister and creating one’s own turbulence, as well as choices and contentment.

At Marietta College, while not completely stated, individuality is highly espoused and expected to endure. Being a “cultural and intellectual leader in the Mid-Ohio Valley…” is one of the nine core values the institution has established, and having the ability to stand out among millions of others while competing for the same positions and benefits, is advantageous to anyone who has the confidence to do so.  Being in college is an ideal opportunity to shape into who you want to be, but at the same time, it can cause tension and make this concept more difficult than what it should be.  Pressures are inevitable in this surrounding, and it is students’ responsibilities to decide to cave into those or rise above and question or compete against the mainstream.

Steve Brenner, a junior at Marietta College, is one of many who take individuality seriously and bases it off of appearance and vocals.

“My hair portrays who I am – not a lot of guys have or like long hair, but I think it suits me well,” he says.  “It gives me a surfer type of look, which I am, and that look stands out in southeast Ohio.  I also speak my mind whenever I get the chance, and I don’t conform to peer pressure as much as I notice my friends do.”

Dan Hartman, a freshman on campus, is similar, but focuses more on what he wears and the music that he listens to.

“It affects how my day goes because people generally make nice comments on the clothes that I wear, resulting in me being happy that I made someone happy,” he explains.  “An example of my clothes would be a pair of ’80s acid wash jeans, bright colored T-shirts, crazy shoes, and a pair of the ‘90s sunglasses.  I also listen to songs that make me happy every morning when I wake up, and those songs set the tone for the day and decide how I am going to portray everything.”

Another student – sophomore Leyna Chovan – takes individuality to heart and depicts it not only through the music she listens to (based on her interest in playing the piano and the positive messages sent through lyrics), but through body art.

“Since coming to MC, I have grown into and have found, myself,” she admits. “This summer, I went to the mall and got four piercings in my ears and one gauge in my cartilage.  While I may not be a 40-year-old mom with six earrings and a giant bar through my ear, I am a 20-year-old college student who wanted to integrate jewelry into my identity. In nearly every area of my life, I live for the future, but when it comes to me and my identity, I live for today.”

No matter where the focus is, the individuality is certainly apparent.  However, this idea is not something that happens over night.

“In my experience, the development of self is process,” says Professor Janet Bland.  “It takes years and continues for a lifetime.  College is part of that process–often one of the first opportunities for students to make specific choices about life and the future based entirely on individual concerns.”

For the new VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) on campus – recent Denison graduate Amanda Dever – college was the clay that molded everything together for her and made her truly comfortable with herself.

“I became more comfortable within my own skin and I felt a lot more comfortable sharing my ideas,” Dever claims.  “Then, I made choices: I joined the feminist group on campus. I joined the social progressive group on campus. I took environmental studies classes. I took classes about transcendental writing. I took creative writing. I studied abroad in India. I became vegetarian. I pierced my nose. To everyone else, these choices seemed radical and made me a “certain type of person” that defined me into a certain category.  To me, these choices complicated my identity in an exciting way and felt freeing from those constrictions.”

Settling in at Marietta, however, wasn’t the easiest for Dever, however.

“At MC, my individuality has been challenged multiple times,” She says.  “Certain people I’ve come in contact with have struggled to get past my obvious differences (my nose ring, my vegetarianism, even my height!), and I’ve had to defend myself multiple times.  While this has been a frustrating challenge for me, I’ve come away from it many times pretty confident in who I am.  I think the challenges I’ve gotten this year show the power of individuality and how it can start wonderful conversations about the importance of differences our own communities.  It seems that many people feel more comfortable being just another person in the crowd.”

Individuality, while preserving one’s self, can also play an important role in team settings, such as track and field.  Head coach Derek Stanley comments, “I feel individuality is plentiful in our program.  I often see athletes wearing different color socks, funny hats, tattoos, hair color and general clothing apparel at practice which all reflect the uniqueness of each of the athletes. Again, the culture of our sport is one that is more inviting for individuality than a more traditional team sport, such as basketball.”

Sometimes students need more motivation, however, to be able to practice and trust themselves to represent their individuality.  For Dr. Bland, this is done in terms of writing as she teaches.

“I urge my students to develop their distinct, creative voices more than I urge them to be individuals,” she notes.  “I do think, without any expertise to speak of, that accessing and expressing individuality are essential impulses.  I think that the tension (between standing out and fitting in) drives the development of self and identity.”

Marietta College certainly contains diversity with its international student population and opens its arms to anyone so long as they embrace the mission statement: providing students with an “integrated, multidisciplinary approach to critical analysis, problem solving, and the leadership skills required to translate what is learned into effective action.”  Students are encouraged to be themselves and make use of their instincts so they are full prepared to succeed in the future.  In the end, it is the students’ decisions whether to just be a number or someone, but in choosing to attend Marietta College, they are already making headway on the right path.

“Some people don’t want to incorporate individuality in their life because they’d prefer to go along with the status quo,” Chovan theorizes.  Those people are missing out on something that we were all put here for, the gift of life, and living to be who you were meant to be.”

Imagine a robotic world where individuals act like the machine and operate strictly by what others around them are doing.  Now visualize a world where people have choices to make and a multitude of opportunities to take advantage of.  Which sounds better?  The choice is the individual’s.

This article was written by Jen Emmert, a student taking Media Writing Two at Marietta College.  Look for more articles from the class to appear on Writing on the Mall in the coming weeks.  If you are interested in writing for Writing on the Mall, please e-mail patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.