Response to ‘Stern Elitism Brings Students No Benefit’
In his article “Stern Elitism Brings Students No Benefits”, freshman Max Schachere writes of Stern students’ “elitist attitude” and “sense of superiority”. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
Written by Michael Catenacci
Generalizations are dangerous. They are dangerous because they are attempts to simplify the complicated based on very little information, research, or understanding. Who better, then, to generalize than a freshman who has attended college for no more than one month? In just one month, Max Schachere has gleaned a thorough understand of a student body that includes more than 2,500 undergraduates. He’s understood their thoughts, their desires, their ticks, and their perspectives. Thousands of complicated individuals boiled down to one statement: Stern students are elitists.
In his article “Stern Elitism Brings Students No Benefits”, freshman Max Schachere writes of Stern students’ “elitist attitude” and “sense of superiority”. To prove his claim that Stern students have an elitist attitude, Schachere cites examples such as Stern’s personal Wi-Fi, I am Stern stickers, Stern-only events, and Stern email addresses.
Schachere’s article was so comforting to me – I felt understood! He understood that I derive my self-worth from the free services offered to me by my school. And it was great to hear that every other Stern student feels the exact same way! It was great to hear that I’m not the only Stern student who takes pride in having Wi-Fi that other students can’t use. I’m not the only Stern student who looks at an “I am Stern” sticker and thinks, “I truly am better than all the other students at NYU who don’t have such stickers.” And the Stern-only events? Those are the best. I just love it when I can attend an event that my friends in CAS can’t attend.
All joking aside, to claim that Stern students have an elitist attitude is an unfair generalization. In the three years I have attended this school, I have met, studied with, and gotten to know many genuine and amazing Stern and non-Stern students through Stern classes and programs. Stern is not an “impregnable bubble” (don’t worry, I had to look that word up too).
As a Stern student, I have had many laughs about trivial details like our Wi-Fi, always being the first one to poke fun at my own school. But Stern Wi-Fi has never been reason for me to think I am superior to my Tisch, Steinhardt, Gallatin, CAS, LS, or Nursing friends. Every college at NYU has students with elitist attitudes and every college has students with genuine perspective. Three years, however, has taught me that there are far more of the latter here at NYU. Stern is no exception.
The Gould Standard 
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