The Din of the Dining Hall
In her column for Forbes, President Mariko Silver discussed the importance of public spaces as a conduit to collaboration and learning.
However, students aren't the only ones who can benefit from this increased interaction. To all members of an interconnected democracy, face-to-face time together increases civility, trust, and community engagement.
"One of the things I love most about being on a college campus is the din of the dining hall," writes Silver. "It is the sound of young people negotiating relationships, debating ideas and engaging in creative practice. It sounds like socialization, but it’s more meaningful than just that."
Too many of our shared spaces have gone from being venues for social interaction to places of parallel solitude.
President Mariko Silver