Carver Interviews David Calder '08
Carver Diserens
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This week, Carver interviews David Calder, a French Major originally from Vancouver, Canada.
Carver Diserens: I know, in the past, you have taken issue with various constructs at Trinity College, so we're going to start off on a high note, what is the greatest gift that Trinity has bestowed upon you?
David Calder: The friends I've met here and my interactions with the faculty. I have formed some incredible relationships with people here. A lot of people think I don't like "Trinity people" but the people are Trinity's strength. Especially the faculty, I really think this faculty is incredible. They're not just published, they're excellent teachers.
Carver: Graduation day, is it a sad day or a relief for you?
David: I think it's always both when you are ending one part of your life and moving onto something else. I've gotten into graduate school, so that part is very happy, because I know what I'm doing, and that will help me enjoy graduation. There are definitely things I'll miss, not the food, but it is time to move on.
Carver: Where are you going to graduate school?
David: Probably Northwestern University for their Theatre and Drama Ph.D program.
Carver: If you could point to one event that has epitomized your time here at Trinity, what would it be?
David: There are two events of the same category. While I've been at Trinity, I have written and staged two plays, which have really been the culmination of a lot of my intellectual work and also, my practical theatrical work. I think the process reflects very well, the Trinity experience; trying to get something off the ground from scratch. Trying to find support for it, trying to find space for it, the frustrations, the red tape, the brick walls, et cetera. Then ultimately getting past that and creating something that, I think, went very well. Jimmy Jones said he was a fan of my work.
Carver: What were the productions called?
David: The first was "Dinner Games," in my sophomore spring. The most recent was "Daddy," last semester.
Carver: Before we talk about the social problems at this school, what do you think is at the root of all of them?
David: It gets back to classism, because yes, there is racism on campus, yes there is sexism on campus and yes, there sure as hell is homophobia on campus but ultimately, it gets back to at the root, the feeling of privilege that is here at Trinity but also in the world in general. I don't think racism, sexism and homophobia can be separated from social and economic issues.
Carver: You are in a relatively small minority at this school, and I know that Trinity has been criticized for not being a welcoming environment for people who share the same background as you.
David: By which you mean homosexual?
Carver: Actually I meant Canadian.
David: [Laughs] I have to say, often people with leftist views are told to, "Go back to Canada." It's hard to hear that. People don't think about that when they say that and don't think about what it might mean to me, as a Canadian.
Carver: How long did you live there?
David: I was only there until I was about five. I actually started taking French because I wanted to be as Canadian as possible. I'm over that now, simply because I know much more about U.S. politics than Canadian politics.
Carver: Okay, seriously now, you are in an even smaller minority at this school by being an openly gay male. What kind of an environment has Trinity been in that respect?
David: Well there is manifest homophobia, and then there is latent homophobia. Most people at this school would not raise their hands and say, "Oh yeah, I'm a homophobe. I hate gay people." Some of them might, those are the manifest homophobes. Then there is latent homophobia running through campus culture, national and international culture. We made the joke about anti-Canadian sentiments in the language, but in all seriousness, there is homophobia in the language that I hear, walking around campus every day. People don't think anything of saying "Dude that's so gay" or "God, you're such a fag." But when pressed, many people have admitted, you know, "Wow, I didn't even think about that." And they talk about having gay friends or at least not having any problems with gay people, and yet, they're using this language. They're not bad people, they need to think about what they're saying. The same is true of sexist language. We don't think anything of dropping the word, "bitch" but that is a gendered insult. We're not attacking people, in fact, I shouldn't even use the pronoun "we." There is no "we," there is no gay community, I really don't believe it. Just like I don't believe there is a community of women or blacks or white men. None of these groups constitute a monolith, that's an absurd assumption.
Carver: Speaking as a heterosexual male, I personally find homosexual sex to be aesthetically unappealing, am I a homophobe?
David: [Laughs] Well, the shot answer is "no." The long answer is, well, what are you going to do with that personal distaste? If you don't like the idea of a dude "blowing" another dude or a dude taking it in the ass from another dude, what am I supposed to do? I'm not going to try and convince you because frankly, that's edging dangerously close to sexual harassment or sexual assault. But you do have to respect what I do and my right to do what I do. The sentiment you expressed, a lot of people turn that into a kind of, "I don't want to see that" mentality, where if two guys are holding hands and walking across campus they are "shoving" their sexuality in your face. If I had a boyfriend, and I gave him a kiss in public before sending him off to class, that would constitute harassment for many straight men. They would feel like I somehow invaded their heterosexual, masculinist space. I could turn it around and say that when you kiss your girlfriend in public, I feel invaded, and I feel that you are shoving your heterosexuality in my face. People need to understand the fact that, if that is how people express their love, then it's really no one else's business.
Carver: The spell check on my computer says "no" but is there such a thing as a heterophobe?
David: Unfortunately, there are homosexuals who are "anti-het." Just as some straight people talk about "homos," some homosexuals talk about "hets," I am not one of them. There are also male homosexuals who exercise misogyny. That is not the case with all homosexuals. There is nothing inherently misogynistic about male homosexuality. Again, there are individuals who hold those beliefs, who find women disgusting just as some straight men find gay men disgusting. And it's disturbing and disappointing because frankly, it's counter productive.
Carver: "Campus Climate" is at the top of the list of buzzwords at Trinity right now with emphasis on building community and uniting the student body. What is the most important step toward improving it?
David: I honestly have to say, the abolition of fraternities. I know that you're a member of a fraternity, so I think its important that I start off by saying that this in no way constitutes a personal attack against members of fraternities. I think that the "Conversation over Cocktails" at Psi Upsilson (Psi U) provides a wonderful example. I wasn't actually able to attend because I was poisoned by the Bistro that evening. My roommates did attend, [Seniors] Ben Schacht and James Murphy, who have been very vocal in their distaste for fraternity life, but they had a fantastic time. They went and hung out with people from all different groups on campus, with faculty, with administrators, engaged in some responsible drinking, and it was fantastic. It wasn't the building preventing them from having a good time. I assume there were Psi U brothers there, that wasn't preventing them from having a good time. The problem is not with the house or the people, it is with the exclusivity of the system. For that evening, people could just show up, and they had a grand time. There's nothing wrong with that. Often I find that people say, "The houses are only so big." Obviously you have to respect fire codes, but there is respecting fire codes and then there is having someone at the door to let certain people in and keep certain people out. I will tell you, one time I tried getting into one of the houses on campus, and I was called a faggot and had the door slammed in my face. And it doesn't matter which house it happened at, because it could have happened at any of them, including those houses that people think of as "progressive" Greek houses.
Carver: OK, it's done, the Greek organizations are all gone tomorrow. Where do you think people are going to go this weekend?
David: People have a tendency to confuse anti-Greek with anti-party. I love a good party, I'm certainly not a one man temperance movement. Obviously social options need to exist on campus. I am realist about this, social options need to include alcohol. One of the reasons the Fred Pfeil community project is having trouble getting people to come is because we don't have a liquor license and because it's technically a dormitory, and we're not allowed to serve alcohol. I have no problem with responsible drinking, and if a night every week you want to get completely loaded, I don't really care. That's your personal prerogative. I think social houses need to remain on Vernon Street. They just can't be these exclusive organizations, shrouded in mystery, where no one is exactly sure how to become a member of these organizations. Anybody who wants to go to a party needs to be able to get into a party. People who don't get into frat parties just go back to their dormitories and drink themselves silly, and that's how people end up at Hartford Hospital.
Carver: I've visited schools where Greek life is even more prevalent. What would you say about adding three or four more Greek houses so that hopefully everyone has a place to hang out. I mean face it, part of the problem that has bothered people is that the Greek houses are aware that they're the only game in town, and they can do whatever they want, and it doesn't matter. Where as, if they have to compete to get guests, they have to change their personal engagements with people and actually work for it.
David: What we would see then would be an expansion of the current fraternity class structure. There is a difference between someone who goes to the Hall, someone who goes to AD, someone who goes to Pike and someone who goes to Cleo. If we have more fraternities, it will only expand that structure, so you have more social classes in this hierarchy. There might not be people who can't get into any, but there will be a sentiment among the existing houses that these new houses are lower, and people who get into them are somehow lower and are only going to them because they couldn't get into the "good" fraternities.
Carver: Isn't that inevitable then? Even if the new social houses aren't Greek, how can you set that up without having it seem like x is a good house and y is a bad house?
David: Well you don't have anyone at the door saying who can come in and who can't. You don't have a man at the door looking for beautiful women, preferably with long legs and short skirts.
Carver: The one issue with that is that we live in the city of Hartford and can't just leave the door open for anyone to stroll in.
David: Okay, so you have someone at the door who is just checking for Trinity IDs.
Carver: Where do you see Trinity College in 10 years?
David: Well, the College will get over their budget issues. Colleges have ups and colleges have downs. Even if you don't like Jimmy Jones you have to admit that he is an incredible fundraiser. He is very good at what he does. This is important because more money needs to go to financial aid, and more money needs to go to hiring the best faculty and keeping class sizes down. I was appalled that we handled budget issues by firing adjunct faculty. There are multiple possibilities for where the College could be. I think there are two main possibilities. One could be a widening of the rift between the "haves" and the "have-nots." Or, I think it's entirely possible that the school will get it together, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure what that would look like, because it's often hard to see the entire map. I think in terms of the Trinity education it will continue to be very strong provided that the administration let's the faculty do their jobs.
Carver: Do you see yourself still being actively involved at that time?
David: I honestly do. I'm on the class of '63 scholarship here. They gather every year at homecoming to catch up with one another. I've been speaking at those dinners every year since I've been here, and I will continue to do that after I graduate. They honestly do care about what I'm doing with my life. There are members of the class of 1963 with whom I consider myself to be very close. I will do that of my own volition.
Carver: What's something you've never done at Trinity that you wish you could have done or plan on doing with your remaining time here?
David: Well, I never took a class with Lou Masur, and there are still fraternities at Trinity College.
Carver: You're an Student Admissions Association (SAA) right? When you're at the admissions office, what do you say to students if they ask you about any of the things you just expressed contempt for?
David: Well, I'm paid by admissions to answer questions honestly. If we just become spin doctors, then all hope is lost, and if I felt like I was, then I would quit. But the honest answers are not all gloom and doom. If I were entirely negative, that would be equally dishonest. So, if openly gay students come up to me and ask if I have experienced homophobia on campus, I say, "Yes, but I have experienced homophobia everywhere." It's not specifically a Trinity problem. What I say to them is that there are plenty of resources on campus they can use like EROS, or REQUIEM. They can join the Queer Resource Center, they can become a member of the Coming Out Network. [Director of the Women & Gender Resource Action Center] Laura Lockwood at the women's center is doing a lot of great work. The other thing I tell them is that there is no perfect college. There is no finished product. One of the things that I have found about Trinity is that when I have a problem, I have had the ability to get active, and people have listened. I think most college students can't say that they are on a first-name basis with the president of their college and have met with him and the deans or even some of the faculty.
Carver: Do you have any final message that you would like to share with the Trinity community?
David: Dissent is not unhealthy.
Carver: I promised someone, who shall remain nameless, I would ask you this question. I apologize in advance for it, I didn't come up with it, and I'm sure you hear similar remarks all the time but ... Should we worry about Voldemort coming to Trinity? [sigh]
David: Yes. Voldemort, Harry, Hermione, the whole gang. I refer you to a delightful article by Ron Charles in The Washington Post: "Harry Potter and the Death of Reading."
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