Decades ago when I was in psychology graduate school, as part of a Social Psychology course we were studying animal behavior and its many aspects which we have inherited through evolution. I was impressed by the topic of herd mentality and the behavior of predators. It goes something like this: lions stalk zebras by following the herd and trying to get downwind of them to avoid detection by scent. The lions hide in the bushes; they are ambush killers and great sprinters, but cannot outrun zebras after a few hundred yards.

Zebras exploit their running superiority by confronting the lions in a face-off from afar, staring at them to "keep an eye on them", and running when the lions move.

A single kick from a zebra can kill a lion, and occasionally does. If you watch nature programs which show lions attacking a zebra, you'll notice that the lions deftly avoid making themselves vulnerable to a kick, and prefer to attack the throat or spine.

When a zebra is attacked, the rest of the herd runs away, despite their ability to kick the whole pride of lions to death, or to trample them as elephants would in the same situation.

So why does the zebra herd run, when they could kill all the lions and be rid of them once and for all? The answer is simple: because it's in their genes. Something in the genotype of zebras inhibits their ability to act in concert against an aggressor, and causes them to run instead. Why it's in their genes is complicated, however, and not relevant to this discussion.

Not all animals behave this way. Consider hyenas, who show up on the scene shortly after every lion kill and distract the lions away from their prey long enough to partake thereof. Why don't the lions kill the hyenas? Like the zebras, in a contest between a single hyena and a lion, the lion always wins, but a pack of hyenas, unlike a herd of zebras, will not run, but will attack and kill a pesky lion who has the effrontery to kill one of their own.

So what does all this have to do with medical school? I'll explain it to you. Students are like zebras, and the administration is like the lions. Collectively, the students can exert crushing power to redress their grievances, but like zebras, it's not in their genes to do so. Instead, they run when the lions advance, because self-preservation of the individual is chosen over the collective safety of the herd. In the mind of a single zebra, it is not willing to risk its safety by attacking the pride of lions while the rest of the zebras run away. Students are governed by a 'you first' principle, in which nobody has the guts to stand up for their rights because if everyone else runs, the consequences can be fatal.

But if, through some genetic mutation, the student herd evolves to the point where the students behave more like hyenas instead of zebras (well, some already do, but not in the sense of this thread), we might actually get something done. The one thing I just know everyone will agree with is that the owners of Xavier understand money. Lots of students, lots of money. Few students, little money. No students, no money. What do you think the owners would do if all the students simply refused to pay their tuition for next semester, and instead every last one of us requested a transcript sent to another school? I'll tell you what would happen: we'd get rid of the school uniform, surly teachers, high rent apartments, test irregularities, bathroom neglect, and a locked library. That's what. And we wouldn't have to wait an evolutionary period of time for it to happen.

But not to worry, it'll never happen. Why? Because we're zebras, not hyenas. Until the student body discovers the power of collective action, things will happen at a tortoise pace, and you have no one to blame but yourselves.

Here's what you should do: like a whispering campaign in colonial New England, you should tell everyone -- I said everyone, not just your roommate -- to use ValueMD as a clearing house for the exchange of ideas. Not enough of us post here, and that's a shame. I do not wish to be a lone voice crying in the wilderness. We have a decent forum here to exchange ideas and rally each other to action, but if you take no interest in change, then no change is what you'll get. There is a saying in politics: people deserve the government they get. By analogy, students deserve the school they get, because it is we, the providers of all the money, who have the ultimate power, and when we decide to act like hyenas instead of zebras, we'll get the school we all hope for.

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Brain surgeon to another: "Hey, this isn't rocket science".
Rocket scientist to another: "Hey, this isn't brain surgery".

Forum Moderator - Xavier Aruba