Reflection, diversity, integrity–the use of these words on Seattle University’s campus is rampant. We have convinced ourselves that we exist in a vaccum where the isms are a part of our past and we’ve absolved ourselves from any association with hurtful academic practice.
If anything I’ve witnessed in the last year of my education at this university, it has been those words–refection, diversity, and integrity–used in defense of normalized lack of understanding, silencing of our peers, and a mistrust between SU’s communities. In light of the changes MRC Coalition will be instituting on our campus, I’d like to offer some final words to the readers of HCSU to strengthen the minds and hearts of our evidently broken community.
I am truly grateful for the education and opportunities that SU had to offer for a small-town girl who fought so hard all her life to leave a place full of violent misogyny, racism, and homophobia. Had I never stepped foot on this campus, I would have never realized the trauma I had been through as a kid or been equipped with the tools to deal with the trauma that occurred while I was at the university.
That being said, I can really only thank a select few because I do believe that my education has failed me in big ways.
I can thank my best friend for being with me since I stepped foot on campus. I can thank her for cleaning up spilled milk and drying my tears with chocolate cupcakes. Thank you for helping me see how important my life is.
I would like to thank two girls in my cohort who provided way more learning in and out of our classrooms than our instructors could. Thank you for giving me your notes when I was too depressed to go to class. Thank you for being brave enough to speak about your lived experiences even when they contradicted our “completely agreeable curriculum.” Thank you for enduring the white noise and inspiring the womxn around us.
Thank you to the single professor who told me I didn’t have to pretend to be strong. Thank you for extending my deadlines when I could only communicate with tears, if at all. Thank you for drowning out the taunting voices of other professors who have abused their power over the womxn in the classroom. Thank you for teaching me that creative writing isn’t about my writing being valuable or academically acceptable. Thank you for teaching me to find my words, my story.
Thank you to my team of amazing writers. I am so proud to see how far your writing and discourse has progressed. Don’t stop inspiring the womxn of Seattle University with the beautiful stories you have to share.
Thank you to the readers of HCSU. Your engagement with our blog is so important in validating and learning with one another. We hope to have many more years with you.
As you leave the university for the summer, make the time to truly reflect on the last year. If you feel as big a heartache as our team does for the university, offer each other support. Foster helpful and encouraging conversation. Don’t be afraid to make yourself uncomfortable and understand that there are students who experience discomfort around you every day. Learn about why. Respect it.
Trust each other. Thank each other. Love each other.