SJU Senior Reacts to Recent Attacks On Our Campus
Channel: Start Talking SJU
Date: 2019-12-06

An SJU senior history and theology major responds to recent discriminatory attacks on SJU campus. He discusses how unacceptable these recent events are, what has happened, what needs to change, how we can change, and what actions will be enacted going further to ensure this no longer happens on our campus. This senior capitalizes on his hope for a campus climate that acts in ways of solidarity which creates an environment where students can learn and grow from one another. This student emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the fact that we are allowing race and other hate based attacks to disconnect us, separate us, divide us, and classify us. More videos like this one on the topic of campus Attacks can be found at http://attacked.starttalkingsju.com. You can also see our prior campaigns: Belonging (http://belonging.starttalking.com) or Mental Health (http://mentalhealth.starttalking.com).

This video was created in collaboration with the person depicted and/or represented in a story read by another. All persons reviewed and signed consent forms granting permission to share this story online. If you or anyone you know have experienced any form of assault or racism on campus please consider the following campus resources: The Bias Activity Review Group, which connects to Public Safety (https://sites.sju.edu/oid/bias/), CAPS (610-660-1090), TitleIX titleIX@sju.edu, REPP (*confidential support) 610-733-9650 (24 hr. Peer Helpline), or SJU Public Safety 610-660-1111.

We just lack a genuine care and push across the student body. I don't know, these situations of-of-of pure hatred malice and then also unintentional actions. I don't know how you can hear those and not say there's at least something for me to do. It's OK for us to be uncomfortable like lean into some of that uncomfortability of students across many identities. Then you're finally in a good spot. OK this isn't just an issue that pops up once in a while or something that should be on our minds periodically but how do we make it part of the norm. So putting things in front of students that if even if they're not going to connect and make a tangible impact right away, we also have to be planting seeds for a longer term future. But I think more broadly we need to have an understanding of live perspectives beyond our own. We have to develop our social consciousness a heck of a lot better. Like we have to show that it matters to us as students. But let's push towards concrete actionable clear areas for improvement.
But what do we want to see done by a certain date that can be performed by these number of steps we have to be so explicit that is almost painstaking so that we're benchmarking ourselves so that we're checking ourselves to say, “have we lived up to what's expected of us.” Because if we continue to wallow in this ‘ah this isn't good, things need to change’ we have to be clear with what needs to change. We've got to feed them through channels where they're actually going to be discussed, researched, acted upon and then clearly and transparently be expressed back to the population. There needs to be more of a constant feedback loop between students, administrators, faculty and staff to go through it. I mean I think it's just really about trying to...expose yourself to people with lived experiences different than your own. And to try to find that sense of like, shared common humanity within each other. But there's always more for me to know, understand and hear from people about their experiences, what they've gone through and who they are. I think it just really starts with saying, “I see the humanity, the goodness in you.” Then I think that starts to break down the walls of hatred and bias that continue to occur here and even beyond campus.

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