Editorial:
I Do Not Attend the Independent Ivy

Unfortunately, we do attend the Independent Ivy—at least that’s what the Office of Admissions would have us believe. The new catchphrase, which is allegedly still in its testing phase, is everywhere. It’s on Wesleyan’s viewbook and postcards, prospective student literature galore. But there are 1,000 fluorescent orange stickers in circulation to show that the students on this campus are not yet ready to throw in the towel.

The arguments against "The Independent Ivy" have become tired, but the bottom line is that Wesleyan is not "The Independent Ivy." This University is not a member of the Ivy League; to say otherwise is a blatant lie. The other main point against "The Independent Ivy" is equally convincing: it’s embarrassing and degrading to those students who chose Wesleyan because they didn’t want to be strapped with the Ivy League’s connotations.

Soon, however, every student who makes it to Middletown will have chosen a school that calls itself "The Independent Ivy." The phrase attracts a viciously different kind of person than the past decade’s "Diversity University" crowd, and it doesn’t ring true with the people who know this University best. The Administration has chosen to ignore this and push blindly forward in the pursuit of increased name-recognition at the expense of betraying the school—and its students.

The stickers, therefore, perfectly capture the real opinion of most Wesleyan students: "Stop misrepresenting me; I do not attend the Independent Ivy."

The initiators of the sticker campaign have promised further action. Unfortunately, many of the stickers have already been removed, and it’s probably too late to prevent "The Independent Ivy" from being plastered all over Wesleyan literature. The continued use of this catchphrase is furthering the cycle in which the Administration continually ignores student voices. The stickers are a small measure to expand our vocabulary in an attempt to break this cycle.