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(03/06/08 5:00am)
If I've had a mission these past four years here at Otterbein, it would have been to help give an empowered voice to the younger, less vocal, queer population of this campus.I wanted so much to be the voice who spoke up for anyone who ever felt uncomfortable in their dorms because of their bigoted hallmates, or who ever sat quiet and nervous in the back of the classroom because of homophobic classmates or professors. As I get ready to graduate, if I had to cite one issue that mattered to me above all else, it would be equal rights for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer (GLBTQ) people on this campus and in society. Maybe that was one reason I decided to go into a career in Student Affairs. I didn't know how journalism was going to allow me to make it happen in society, but I know a career in Student Affairs will allow me to help students on a college campus somewhere.Since I've been here, I have helped FreeZone form itself into a visible and freestanding active student organization. We have stood up against homophobic defamation splattered across the walls of this campus for years. I have seen a glorious transformation from no GLBTQ representation among faculty and staff, to the formation of the Advisory Committee. When I came, there was no safe place in Residence Life, but then came the GLBTQ and Gender Resource Theme House, which I had the privilege of living in. I can safely say that things have improved here since I was a freshman. Many annual events now take place on campus - like the National Day of Silence and FreeZone's Other Prom, - which make me hopeful that even when I leave, the climate of Otterbein will continue to shift toward the better.As I say goodbye, I need to thank Suzanne, because without her, I truly would not be here today. I also need to thank all of the members of the Advisory Committee, including Kate, Angela, Monty and Bob Gatti for their tireless effort and commitment to equality. I want to recognize all of FreeZone's members, our campus allies and our new Freezone Executive Board: Matt, Molly, Janet, Liz, Chris, Devon and Michelle. They are the organization's hope for a long and important future. I hope that all of you will make it your mission to become the empowering voice that I have tried to be. t&c;
(02/07/08 5:00am)
Props to Angela Harris and the Student Affairs Office for considering a name change for the Office of Ethnic Diversity in an attempt to be more "inclusive." An e-mail sent to the student body prompted them to select their top three new names for the office. The Office of Ethnic Diversity said their "goal was to become more inclusive, embracing the term 'multi-cultural' in every sense of the word." The diversity page on the Otterbein Web site says, "Otterbein College is proud to be home to a rich diversity of cultures, lifestyles and ideas. The college promotes diversity and respect through its many programs and activities on campus."However, out of all of the organizations, committees and services represented through diversity, the mission statement of the Office of Ethnic Diversity was the only one I could find that included the word "inclusiveness." And while Otterbein and many aspects of the college promote tolerance, understanding and diversity, I have found throughout my four years here that many organizations do not do a good job of providing an environment of inclusiveness. In fact, sometimes I think our whole devotion to diversity might in some ways be segregating. For instance, I can speak as a four-year member and current president of FreeZone, Otterbein's queer and ally organization. I have spoken in classrooms many times, hung countless fliers and constructed many bulletin boards. But still, when I find supportive allies who I think would be good members of the organization, or students in classrooms who are interested in the group, they almost always think it's a club only for gay and lesbian students.The African-American Student Union (AASU) may have open meetings and amazing campus events, but its name in and of itself seems to establish its exclusiveness for students of color. According to Otterbein's Web site, though, the AASU is for "African-American students and all students with similar interests or backgrounds."There is also a lack of networking and teamwork between the organizations on campus, despite the rich resources each might have to offer the next. There seems to be this sense of group pride or ownership that we think might get lost (or in some way jeopardized) if we as organizational members were to collaborate beyond our group to meet common goals.Organizations should look to the Office of Ethnic Diversity for direction. I'm definitely not suggesting any name changes. But organizations should be possibly working toward setting a new goal to become more "inclusive" to the whole student body.
(01/23/08 5:00am)
It's mid-October in a country of approaching political hype. Come early November, words like Democrat and liberal, Republican and conservative will be tossed around, regardless of their synonymy. If we are to define liberal, one must try to understand what it means to be conservative. One should understand "conservative" to mean being a traditionalist, a social conformist, old-fashioned, conventional, careful or just plain cautious about change in general. People use the word "conservative" when talking about both politics and religion, and are generally speaking about the same group of people. "Conservative" generally describes the rich, the religious, the businessmen and the Republican Party. However, this is not always a truism, for the self-defined liberal can also be a religious person, financially well-off or involved in business affairs. Now, what does it mean to be liberal or to have liberal ideals? The first relevant definition given for the word liberal in the Apple Word Processing Dictionary is "not bound by authoritarianianism." And, according to the Libertarian Party Official Web site, while the Libertarian Party claims to be neither liberal nor conservative in a political sense, it holds most true to this definition of liberal. It "strongly opposes any government interfering in their personal, family and business decisions. Essentially, [Libertarians] believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another." The term "liberal," when used to describe a person, is usually used in reference to their advanced or broad thinking, open-mindedness, progressiveness, tolerance, indulgence, lenience or even radical ideals. This may be why "liberals" are most often associated with certain types of people, like feminists, GLBTQ individuals and of course the Democrat Party. One must keep in mind, however, that a GLBTQ person may very well hold fundamental conservative ideals in terms of business, for instance, and may not consider themselves a liberal just because they aren't straight. On another note, when speaking of an educational track, the word "liberal" in the term "liberal arts" is described in Encyclopedia Britannica as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum." The education at Otterbein aims to broaden minds and progressive thinking. The Otterbein Web site, claims to "[bring] the College community together to connect diverse aspects of life, culture, and experience through cross-study in the arts, sciences and philosophy while emphasizing critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills." In whatever way the term liberal affects your thoughts and emotions politically, remember that the positive connotations of liberal thinking outweighs the consequences of not stepping beyond your comfort zone.
(01/23/08 5:00am)
"Making up" is a concept that seems to have gotten lost in our society. This is a society where "I'm sorry" is not accepted as sincere enough when it is offered up, and if it is said at all, it's usually not reciprocated with adequate forgiveness.For instance, how many verbal fights have you had recently that have started off in an exchange of insults, then ended in tantrums and tears? I bet these fights were followed by a few days of silent treatment and therapeutic gossip exchanged between you and other friends. If there was an attempt for a resolution, it may have amounted to nothing more than pretending the altercation never happened in the first place.If brushing the situation under the rug sounds like how you and your friends deal with drama, then I will have you know that you have not reached an appropriate resolution of any kind. Neither one of you have sought forgiveness or received it. Therefore, the anger and resentment you both may feel still lingers and can resurface at anytime. In the book "Forgiveness: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Get on with Your Life," Sidney and Suzanne Simon write, "Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves."When we were six-years-old, our mothers made us say, "I'm sorry" when we pushed our brother and stole the toy we wanted to play with. Then we learned the value of sharing. We also had to make up after fighting with other kids on the playground in school. So, how should the childhood dynamics of 'I'm sorry," "so am I," and then, "I forgive you," translate into our college world?Catherine Ponder, a non-denominational Unity Faith minister, said on her Web site, "When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free."So, I maintain that with so many things weighing us down, resolution by seeking and granting forgiveness can only bring us to a better place - at least emotionally, on both a personal and societal level.Remember, as Mahatma Gandhi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."