At this moment, the Syracuse University communities—on campus
and beyond—have an opportunity to take the recent and public displays
of racism, homophobia, misogyny, and other acts of violence and turn them
into teaching and learning moments. These public displays demonstrate
that the campus’s institutional culture supports oppressive structures
that work to silence and injure non-dominant groups. The HillTV television
station and the subsequent actions taken as a result of “Over the
Hill’s” airing of objectionable material have made us all
pause and question the role of diversity on this campus. What are we doing?
Or perhaps the better question is: What are we not doing? Whether or not
the programming decisions were intended to create a hostile learning and
teaching environment, the impact is clear: students, faculty members,
and staff feel unsafe. A lesbian writing instructor may feel more hesitant
to introduce discussions of gender and sexuality for fear of being targeted.
A female student walking across the quad may feel unprotected, especially
since “gang rape” has become the punch line of a joke. Students
of color—working in the dining halls, living in dorms, sitting and
eating together—may feel under surveillance. The difference between
intent and impact represents the difference between feeling safe and unsafe,
welcome and unwelcome.
The Writing Program, through writing instruction, assignment/curriculum
design, and classroom conversations, is continually engaged in
- Calling attention to language that tacitly approves the attitudes
and behaviors that not only work to divide the campus, but also assist
in maintaining a hierarchy that concentrates power in specific groups;
- Fostering writing and talking across communities—academic and
civic—about the need for social justice and strategies to pursue
that justice;
- Valuing the richness and interplay of differences by acknowledging
and respecting diversity of all types, including intellectual, social,
cultural, class, ethnic, ability, gender, and sexual orientation;
- Promoting critical, inquiry-based research and teaching; and
- Making explicit connections to writing and social-action movements
and public advocacy.
In direct response to these recent incidents, the Writing Program is committed
to seeking positive, sustainable change. We are dedicated to dismantling
these oppressive systems, be it through the various writing courses offered
or through beginning conversations across campus and with other departments.
The writing studio can serve as a meeting place for the free exchange
of ideas. It can become that space where all voices are heard, validated,
and respected. And, if it is a value to us, we can make Syracuse University—the
campus and the community—a safer space for all.
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