We often associate universities with complex thinking, but we rarely acknowledge the complex nature of the university itself.
The brick walkways of the university campus act like the topsoil above an ant colony, for they mask a complex, interconnected network.
Every day, the university must be brought into being through the hard work of a combination of faculty, staff and administrators.
Acknowledging this complexity means looking for and appreciating all of the people who make the university possible.
Custodial workers create a clean space; groundskeepers keep our campus beautiful; staffers ensure that classes are scheduled and run appropriately; innumerable people outside of the university care for all of its members.
The network of people who produce the university spirals outward, constantly expanding and engulfing more people the more one looks at it.
The complexity of the network reflects the fact that we are not strictly individuals.
Although the work of the university student is mythologized through notions of drive, commitment and determination, in reality, this work is never individual — for it relies on the network to occur in the first place.
Food workers are just as essential to students as the hours spent reading complicated texts. The support of others is essential for freedom itself.
