Boston Calling

“I go to school in Boston.”

Eyes downcast, feet shuffling, we’ve all uttered this evasive response to that most innocent of questions, “Where do you go to college?” to avoid dropping the H-bomb and inciting  judgment from new acquaintances.

To say that Harvard students live in Boston is a lie, some would argue, pointing to that unfathomable chasm between Eliot House and Allston, the mighty Charles. Muddy rivers and municipal limits aside, they are wrong. Geographically, Cambridge is a part of Greater Boston, and culturally, Harvard as an institution is integral to the city. Just ask the eight million visitors who flock to this campus annually to experience one of “Boston’s top attractions.” Like the heavyweight cotton in the “Veritas” t-shirts you can purchase at Logan Airport without ever laying eyes on Memorial Hall’s majestic spires, Harvard is inextricably woven into the fabric of Boston’s identity.

Thus, it is disheartening, in light of last Thursday’s major announcement that Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino will not seek a sixth term, to acknowledge that the end of the Menino era will mean so little to so many of us. Far from considering themselves Bostonians, most Harvard students do not give much thought to the city. However, our apathy toward Boston can easily be remedied.

First, Harvard students can engage in the Boston community by venturing past the ivy. Harvard’s myriad resources equip undergraduates to spend summers in Manhattan, Mombasa, and everywhere in between, but few students acquaint themselves with the vibrant city on the other side of the river. In this respect, Harvard undergraduates should take a cue from the insufferable tourists we photobomb on the daily commute to class: We need to familiarize ourselves with all that the city has to offer.

Even the busiest of Harvard students has time to let loose once in awhile, and it’s a shame that many of us don’t take advantage of Boston as a recreational space. Students are apt to weekend in New York, as evidenced by lamentation over the recent demise of the Fung Wah bus service, but rarely turn to Boston for diversion. Given the midnight closure of the T, Boston nightlife is admittedly lacking. Nevertheless, there are countless other ways to make meaningful memories in Boston. This is the unique city of Red Sox and golden pine cones, of tea party reenactments, cream pies, and the world’s largest milk bottle. It’s the city where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck initiated their bromance, where eccentric Beacon Hill antiquarians invite you to look at, but not touch, their teacups. What’s not to love?

No matter what Harvard students choose to do in Boston, trips to the city should be valued as a legitimate use of time, neither a distraction from résumé-building activities nor a lesser form of recreation than on-campus nightlife. Is the commute really so interminable that it will detract from your precious study hours? In the time it takes to browse three BuzzFeed posts in avoidance of a problem set, you could have transferred to the Green Line at Park Street. Moreover, with a campus culture conducive to student burnout, it’s important to shake up the indefatigable work hard/party hard rhythm. If the number of times you’ve danced the night away to Ke$ha’s “Die Young” exceeds the number of cannoli in the North End, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your carpe diem strategy.

Further, it is unacceptable for Harvard students to round out their four years with a naive perception of Boston as nothing more than Fenway Park and adorable duckling statues. As residents of the nation’s oldest metropolis, we have a responsibility to be aware of the geography, demography, and historical legacy of our home away from home. Only then can we start engaging in its current events and contributing our own penchant for social innovation to enrich the city. In order to facilitate these processes, the Freshman Dean’s Office might enhance its orientation programming with readings and dialogue on what it means to live in Greater Boston. Harvard might, at least, make The Boston Globe available in dining halls.

Finally, in order to feel at home in Boston, we must integrate ourselves into its social contract. Initiatives including the First Year Urban Program and Phillips Brooks House Association programs help students engage in communities from suburban Cambridge to Chinatown, but as students shift focus to concentrations and career prospects, Boston-based public service activities become a low priority, and some students miss out on the sustained interaction that is crucial to developing a sense of belonging. Two years into volunteering for the nonprofit Health Leads, I am only beginning to appreciate Boston from a variety of perspectives. I am learning that the Harvard bubble is just that—transparent and easily penetrable—but only if I step out of my comfort zone in lasting, meaningful ways.

Many Bostonians may never have a reason to step off the Red Line at Harvard Square, but it is our privilege and our civic duty to reach out to our neighbors so that we may learn from them. Boston is calling. You need only take time to appreciate it, so that the next time you declare, “I go to school in Boston,” you might do so with pride.

Tarina Quraishi ’14, a Crimson editorial writer, is an English concentrator in Eliot House. Follow her on Twitter at @TarinaQ.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Fenway Park by the wrong name.