I've been attending some powerful and moving events this year. It amazes me how our SMC Community has been so involved and taking their own initiative to make changes in our world. Last week, I attended the Dear Hilary Campaign and last night I attended a discussion panel called "Not In Our Home", a campaign to stop bullying, hateful words and actions on our campus and in our own lives. The panel discussion, created by senior Siobhan Lavery in conjunction with Common Ground , came in light of the several tragic suicides of teens across our country due to hateful words and actions. The panel consisted of SMC faculty and student members talking about their own experiences with hurtful words and their ideas on how to stop them in our community. The event was incredibly informative and hopefully inspired many SMC students to take responsibility to stop bullying and hate on our own campus. I was able to ask a few questions to Siobhan about her opinions about the event.
Why did you decide to hold this panel?
After attending the common ground meeting the week of Tyler Clementi's death, I talked to my committee and decided that we wanted to do something. The idea for a panel discussion came in later in a discussion with my roommate. Originally the idea was to include speakers from off campus, but after more discussion we figured it would be more pertinent to have speakers who the community knew.
How did you decide who would be on the panel and who would be speaking?
We asked Dave Landers because of his expertise, and Mark Litchfield because of his association with Common Ground and his personal experiences. Sam was chosen because of her work with the OutRight association. Kasey and Mike were chosen because we wanted different gender perspectives from two people who were openly gay.
How did you personally feel connected to the recent tragedies and suicides due to bullying, hazing, and harmful words?
I think that when there are any teenagers that are committing suicide, we have to ask ourselves why. These deaths are preventable. I think about the students that could come into my classroom, and the struggles that they have. It is our responsibility to make their voices heard, to support them. This isn't about sexual orientation; its about people.
What was your favorite or most significant part of the night?
My favorite part was when Sam asked the straight allys to come out of the closet. I think it was just so powerful to see how many people really are in support of each other within our own community.
What was the main message that the event was trying to convey to our community and our students?
The point of the evening really was to show that we aren't immune. This could happen here. Because of that, it is up to all of us to act out, to protect each other and our community. This isn't something that we can push over to other people, but is something we have to take direct control of.
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