Ian Ramsey North
Narberth, PA
High School: Friends’ Central High School
Major: Political Science
Concentration: Peace and Conflict Studies
Activities: Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track, Women’s Center, Men Against Sexual Assault and Rape, International Humanitarian Foundation
Why I chose Haverford: “Primarily, I wanted a small, liberal arts college. As I went around a fairly standard circuit of northeast liberal arts schools, I realized I also wanted the school to have a sense of purpose and character that informed and reinforced its academic and intellectual goals. I thought Haverford was unique in its stated values and the extent to which it lives them.”
Thoughts on the three Academic Centers: “The summer after my sophomore year, the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship supported my summer trip to Guatemala to research truth and reconciliation following Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. The CPGC funded my travel, living expenses, Spanish-language immersion, vaccinations, and provided a support network that helped me to think critically about the challenges of working in so radically different a context. That time in Guatemala grounded my school work in something real and inescapable.”
Favorite Class: “My first semester I took Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies. It was essentially a comparative politics class in which we studied different case studies (South Africa, Ireland, Sri Lanka) and theories to explain the conflicts. Never having taken an interdisciplinary social science course in high school, I was really excited about having the chance to approach these issues in the classroom, as opposed to just in conversation with my friends. I was hooked and knew I wanted to be a Political Science Major.”
Thoughts on the Honor Code: “For me, the Honor Code represents what is important and unique about Haverford. It very much influenced my decision to come to Haverford. The Honor Code eschews creedal requirements in order to embrace the ideals of trust, concern, and respect. Most ambitiously, it leaves it up to Haverford students as individuals and as a community to understand what those ideals mean and how to best live them. But I’m not unreservedly supportive of it. Oftentimes you will hear Haverford students house their arguments or base their philosophies in a language of Haverford and the Honor Code, but in so doing they sometimes miss that what we are basically aiming for is to live responsibly and compassionately in the world where there is no recourse to an Honor Code. I do value the Honor Code, but think it requires some work and perspective to allow it to live up to its potential.”