The meeting started off with outgoing leaders of all of these organizations talking about accomplishments of this past school year. Many of the accomplishments focused on the idea of inclusion and support of minority communities on campus. Then the new incoming heads of these organizations introduced themselves and talked about their goals for the next school year and ways they were thinking of implementing their ideas. Again the idea of inclusion was a huge focus for the leaders. They all talked about ways to tackle campus issues and just working toward ways of making Santa Clara the best community.
Afterwards the floor was open to students to discuss issues they wanted solutions for. The big and main issue was about the racial issues that were brought up on social media Yik Yak application. Extremely disgusting and disturbing posts were put up and many students were left hurt and in need of some kind of movement toward change for this problem. The focus wasn't just on the racial discrimination through social media, but the culture the school possesses where minority groups continue to be looked down on and made fun of. The students talked about the necessity of dialogue and education that speaking in such ways of other groups is extremely unacceptable. SCU was described as a privileged place where there were a lot of uneducated people that just don't care of prominent issues. It's crazy to think that such issues like sexism and racism are huge at an institution such as SCU thats mission includes social justice.
Other things talked about were that the SCU culture allowing for things like this to occur. It starts with the figure heads of the school not even being present at these town hall meetings and student and faculty being able to come together to make change happen. This year especially there have been many times where the heads of the school don't take these issues seriously therefore how do we expect the rest of the school to take it seriously. There is no transparency nor communication with the students and administration. The gap with administration needs to be closed, and these emails that are pointless need to stop.
After tackling many issues the conclusion was that the students have to propose a solution because the school won't do anything on its own. ASG has a lot of power and they have to take advantage of that and communicate the student body's voice and talk to administration. And there are a few main goals that have been chosen to represent the overall solution.
Even though I did not go to the town hall meeting, I believe that what you described was brought up at the meeting is true. I think that it is really sad that the culture here at SCU is one that looks down upon minorities and is unwilling to change. It is even more sad that the heads of our school did not attend this meeting even though they are people who should be at the meeting because they have the power to make change and they are the ones who work to make the school better for all students. I believe what you said that we should not give up on something we are passionate about. We shouldn't wait on the school heads to do something for our school because it may never happen. Instead, we should reach out to the school and community to inform them on current issues and motivate them and use the resources we have to our advantage. We should communicate with the school heads to start making change because we want a better culture here at SCU. I think it is important for all students to be aware of issues like these so that we can come together in times of need to do what is best for our community.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI think you speak a lot of truth in your Campus Engagement post. We should keep this momentum going; however, it is unfortunate because after attending this event, many people will forget about this event and its cause. Something definitely needs to be done about this injustice taking place on campus but that's easier said than done.
In my CTW, I am doing a research paper on organized sports and its connection to moral development. Research has shown that one way to develop morals in athletes is through leading by example. However, I think this transcends just on the playing field. The leaders of our communities have to take a stand. Only then can we become a unified community.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a chance to attend this event. I was there as well and was moved by my peers' experiences and perspective. I think one of the most valuable things that came out of the meeting was the recognition that many of these issues are facilitated by a wider campus culture that condones these sorts of attitudes. You hit the nail on the head when you say that the focus isn't just on social media, but the underlying culture. Thank you for your thoughtful post!