TL;DR: If you had a magic wand, what would you change about Olin?
As a first year, I used to hear the word ‘jaded’ being thrown around when referring to the seniors. I thought, “I’m never going to let myself become jaded. I’ll keep caring… keep aspiring for change”.
Fast forward to the beginning of my senior year, and I was feeling pretty… ‘jaded’. Probably because I’ve started thinking about life after Olin, or because I’ve done all the fun things to do in Needham, or maybe I miss Olin traditions that have been lost to the force of change.
If you haven’t heard, Ertug has started a Debate/Discussion Club. As someone who grew up in an argumentative household, I really look forward to these Wednesday lunches. This week, the topic was: “What’s the purpose of Olin?”
As we spoke about Olin’s core principles and goals, I realized the Olin I’ve grown to know is different from the Olin I thought I was deciding to attend in 2023. I thought Olin would empower me to practice sustainability through engineering. At the debate, I heard similar feelings of Olin not meeting people’s expectations.
Whether or not you share this resentment about sustainability with me, I’m confident that you were also disappointed by something you thought Olin was. Maybe it was a more structured E:Bio degree, maybe it was more whimsical student clubs, maybe it was more spontaneous parties. I’m sure you can think of something, big or small.
Luckily for us, Olin uniquely was designed by students, and according to the 2026-27 Catalog, “Olin’s collaborative culture actively involves its students as partners in the creation and ongoing development of the curriculum.” Which brings me to the actual point of this writing: How to realize this power we have as students. Well, from what I understand, you can schedule a meeting with May herself. But if you’re like me, and don’t have time to follow-through on a long-term project by yourself, then collaborating with others who have similar qualms might be a solution.
So here is a simple framework for the sake of my next point:
- REIMAGINE: Conceptualizing New Systems
- REFORM: Working Within the Current System
- RESIST: Working On the Current System
- RECREATE: Generating New Systems
Source: “The Theory of Transformation” by Spirit in Action
According to this framework, the first step to changemaking is reimagining. I think many of us do this already. In the dining hall, in classes, on the great lawn, we talk about what we wish Olin was like. Next comes reforming, resisting, and recreating, which I think Olin has started to teach us through its design classes like CD. We’re equipped and capable of actualizing the change we want to see.
I’m hoping that those of us with images of what Olin can be, can come together to share our thoughts with each other. To do this, I’m planning to schedule a conversation in the upcoming weeks to discuss our visions. Then, with a set of shared goals, we can start to reform, resist, and recreate. Until then, keep reimagining.