Here at Dartmouth, we are certainly not lacking in our "causes." One can begin to appreciate the plethora of advocacy by the very fact that we have certain days and weeks dedicated to the pursuit of particular causes (i.e. National Coming Out Day, Sexual Assault Awareness Week).
With all of the competing voices out there, it is sometimes difficult to keep one's mind clear. I therefore believe we must have an Awareness Awareness Week: a special week dedicated to the cause of raising consciousness of our awareness, and awareness of our consciousness.
There are certain prerequisites for an event such as Awareness Awareness Week. First, we must have a vigil, and I believe Interstate-91 would suffice as a venue. We would put a podium in the middle of the road, and individual people could give testimonials of their awareness while all onlookers join hands in solidarity. Should oncoming traffic become a problem, our awareness would compel us to vacate the treacherous highway, and we would all feel empowered.
To have a legitimate week of awareness awareness, we also must have special programming. Dartmouth/Hitchcock Medical Center seems a logical organization to participate. DMHC could provide complementary CAT-scans in Collis Common Ground. The Student Assembly would fund this event, and anyone who has had doubts about his or her awareness could participate. Naturally, most SA members would take part.
Another necessity is an appropriate theme. So, each year, the Awareness Awareness Ad Hoc Committee would choose a theme for the big week. During Awareness Awareness Week, this theme would become a household phrase in the form of flyers, posters, and T-shirts. The inaugural theme is all too obvious: "Take Back the Mind."
Of course, we would also need an objective. For the inaugural Awareness Awareness Week, our focus would undoubtedly be the lack of equity of awareness resources on campus. The primary center for awareness resources is, of course, the psychology department. But the inconvenient location and unsightly appearance of Gerry Hall (one of the "shower towers") represents the marginalized state of awareness awareness on campus. During the first Awareness Awareness Week, we would seek to express our outrage over the lack of attention paid to awareness resources on campus in the hope that a new, more centrally located center of awareness resources would be created.
Finally, to truly make Awareness Awareness Week a meaningful experience, we must be able to ensure that, in the years to come, people will indeed be aware of their awareness. So, we could hire a graduating senior to spend the next three years tracking the overall awareness of Dartmouth students. This '95 would be the "Awareness Administrative Intern" and would advise college administrators and Awareness Awareness Ad Hoc Committee members on new and different ways to facilitate awareness awareness on campus.
In the end, Awareness Awareness Week will set us on the right track towards a future of equity, understanding and cognizance.
