I used to think community was easy

I was at the Brooks College Master's Tea a few weeks ago and the guest was Dr. Frank Shushok, who was sharing some insights from a soon to be published article on the subject of friendship. You can read an excerpt on the Campus Living & Learning blog.

At some point he posed a question which I don't particularly remember, but my answer has stuck with me. "I used to think community was easy."

Tonight, I awoke to a phone call at 2:45am. There had been an incident of vandalism in my building, with a clear message (literally) that one of our efforts at facilitating community was being overridden by this student who was choosing convenience.

Standing in the silent quad of this beautiful new building at 3:30am after the police officers had left, I was consumed with thoughts about the incident and motivations. Honestly, I was also vacillating between anger and disgust, ultimately settling on disappointment. Then the comment from several weeks ago hit me with the full force of its meaning: community is not easy.

It takes effort. It is often inconvenient.

Lots of thoughts about this are still rolling around in my head and I can't make them gel at 4:45am, but here is a stream of consciousness: I think about going out of your way to include and invite people to be a part of a community. The effort it takes to bring people out of their shells, to get to know people who are different. Getting involved in people's lives takes time and does not always coordinate with your schedule. You have to move beyond being self-centered and look at the big picture. You have to be involved. It takes initiative, other people can't do it for you. You sometimes have to go out of your way.

These are just some thoughts as I am starting to fade. Maybe I can get a little more sleep after being woken up, which was definitely inconvenient, but I am committed to this community, as are eleven community leaders, our Faculty Master and his family, staff and faculty from around Baylor, and many, many students...

Larry Correll-Hughes is director of Brooks Residential College. He is also a soon-to-be father.