by Ali Feldhausen

A little while back, I responded to a disgruntled student on the article “Feminism: What’s in a Name?” S/he/they wrote, “Great...mansplaining feminism! Morningside Post wins again.” It was an interesting comment, because it embodied one of the recurring criticisms I have heard as well as a fundamental misunderstanding people express about The Morningside Post (TMP).

To the first point, I understand the frustration. As a women’s college graduate and a Gender and Public Policy specializer, I am not new to feminism as a formal and informal study and practice. That being said, the author of the piece took the time to write a thoughtful article, and I will not tear someone else down until I am willing to take the same amount of time to create something myself. Whether I agree with the articles in TMP or not, I am incredibly appreciative of all those that take the time to write and bravely submit their opinions. It is a scary prospect to put one’s views out into the world, and this publication exists only because people choose to do just that.

More specifically though, TMP only exists because SIPA students choose to share their work. Yes, the publication is made up of a team of writers and, as such, part of our mission is to create content that is relevant to students. However, our foremost objective is to create a forum through which all SIPA students may articulate themselves, express what we think is important, critique the institutions around us, and report on the events that affect our lives.

This past semester, students have discussed the validity of UN internships through articles UN Internships: To do or not to do, that is the decision and Wading Through the Mud: How to Make the Most Out of Your UN Internship. They have critiqued each other and SIPA in An Open Letter to Fellow American Seeples and SIPA’s Administration and TA Plight, and they have shared how they are changing the world in What’s a Park in Queens Worth? and “Rostros Diversos,” a Seeple’s campaign to humanize the LGBTQ acronym. In creating these pieces, SIPA students have all taken the time to provoke a discussion.

With our busy schedules, I understand that writing articles is more simply said than done, and added to this time crunch is the ever-present fear that our work is not good enough. We think that if we just spend a little bit longer, an article will be amazing, and then we can submit it. Let me be clear: IT. WILL. NEVER. BE. PERFECT.

Besides, and, let’s be very honest: The Morningside Post isn’t perfect. I’ll admit that our website is a little bananas; not every piece is New York Times worthy; and, as seen from above, our article titles are ambitiously long. We are far from perfect, but we don’t want to be.

Letting perfection be the arbiter of action is a farce. Leadership is not always made up of the most talented people. It is made up of people who choose to do things, who make conscious decisions to participate and provoke discussion and action.

This is precisely what we are trying to do at TMP. We want SIPA to be actively talking, engaging in discussions, thinking about the world around them, and making things happen right now. We are asking you to stop complaining about the world we live in and waiting for that moment you are ready to change it. Do something right now: spark a discussion on campus, promote an event, challenge the existence of an event, call out a problematic viewpoint. Honestly, just do something.

But also, by do something, I, selfishly, mean write an article for TMP. I know you all have things to say, because I have heard you say them. Why not lend your voice to the larger discussion on campus?

For article submissions or just to chat about ideas, please contact me, Ali Feldhausen, at Tmpsipasubmissions@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you all.