In the meantime, they are doing little, exercising little initiative, becoming more and more passive, more and more depressed. According to Father Sergey, the Russian people seem to think, perhaps soon a strong leader will come and set everything right and tell us what to do. The people are waiting for a king. Last Spring, at a meeting of students, faculty members and administrators, I was seated at the same table as President Bienen. For a while we talked about how so many people at Northwestern seem to be frantically busy.
People run from one meeting to the next, from one assignment to the next.
There doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done. Students say they are stressed to the max. They have no time for fun. It seems there isn't enough time to absorb what's being learned or to reflect on larger issues. President Bienen said that he attributed it to the quarter system.