1,100 lives ended too soon.![]() Students of the University of Delaware were taken on an enlightening journey while walking through the green yesterday. 1,100 backpacks lined the lush grass, each representing 1,100 student suicides that occur annually. Each backpack reminds us of a life that ended too soon. This movement was organized by the University of Delaware’s Active Minds Club in order to spread awareness of student suicide and end the stigma. Each backpack shared a personal story of a student who lost their life. The Send Silence Packing puts a “face” to each life lost to suicide and carries the message that preventing suicide is not just about improving statistics, but also about saving the lives of daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, and friends across the nation. The display intends to encourage open conversation pertaining to mental illness and serves as an outlet for survivors’ grief as well as a powerful way to raise awareness and work towards suicide prevention. UD was not the only college campus to take part in the fight to end mental illness stigma, thousands of college campuses across the United States took part in this powerful movement. Since 2008, Send Silence Packing has traveled to over 100 cities across America. Mental illness has powerful impact on each and every one of us. I too experienced the impact of this exhibit today after opening up to one of my classmates about the topic of mental illness and how it has affected us both. The display truly shows students that issues of mental illness are more widespread and common then we may perceive. We should commend those brave enough to speak up about their battles with mental illness for their stories have the capability to save lives. Do not be afraid to seek help and encourage loved ones to do the same. This display reminds us our campus and student body is a support system. If you or anyone you know is in need of help remember that there are various resources available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is always available at 800- 273-TALK (8255) or text BRAVE to the Crisis Text Line (741-741). For resources on how to "Be a Friend" for someone with mental illness, visit: www.ActiveMinds.org/BeAFriend Published in 2017 on the UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE TAB view the original article here: thetab.com/us/udel/2016/05/03/send-silence-packing-movement-hit-campus-yesterday-289
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As we walked to the gravesite, something began to fall from the sky. The air was bleak, still, frozen. The only sounds were those made by the tip tapping of shoes and sniffling noses caused by both the cold and the hole left by your absence.
For a moment, my sister and I exchanged bewildered looks. The particles were fluffy, it looked almost like ashes from a burnt newspaper. Bizarre first thought, even weirder that my sister and I had the same reaction. but alas it was snow. There was so much serenity to be found in that act of nature. Bag pipes bellowed and created a path for the family to lay you to rest. The bagpipes served as a call to help you find your way home. I am not usually one to seek out signs in everyday life; but I believe we were brought comfort in the cold cold solitude of this bleak day. When days are dark and filled with uncertainty and abrupt change, may we see the beauty in the falling snow. Seek peace in each moment. The snow may inflict death across the land, our crops and floral buds will surely wilt. But the snow is a reminder that we must continue to live despite the uncertainty.. We will see spring, & we will bloom again. But can we truly cherish new life without an end?
http://udreview.com/no-perfect-victim-survivor-from-the-hunting-ground-comes-to-campus/
BY KACEY CORNELY
STAFF REPORTER Kamilah Willingham comes from a long line of survivors and activists, she said during her talk in Purnell Nov. 15. Now, she said, she truly understands what her grandparents fought for when they marched in Nashville and Selma during the civil rights movement. After being sexually assaulted while attending Harvard Law School Kamilah began to fight for justice on behalf of not only herself, but all individuals affected by sexual assault. Members of the university community filled the seats for Willingham’s talk, where she discussed the story of her assault and its aftermath, which was featured in the 2015 documentary “The Hunting Ground.” Willingham thanked the university community for giving her the opportunity to speak, saying that her speech is supported by not only her legal knowledge of the matter, but also her experience as a survivor of campus sexual assault. She made it clear that the intention of her speech was not to focus on her assailant, but to bring attention to the flawed policy of university administrations that enable sexual violence through corrupt policy and inaction. “I strongly believe that although we are in need of policy and administrative reform, we are only as strong as the people enforcing them,” Willingham said. “When those responsible for setting these rules in place are not educated on the basics of trauma and rape culture they are not fit to set these rules in place. Education is important.” Willingham was in the winter term of her third year at Harvard when she and a friend were sexually assaulted. She confronted administrators about being sexually assaulted, and was told by Harvard administration to quiet down to avoid negative public attention. She expressed that she felt as if her value was judged by the risk of a potential lawsuit or a negative PR case. The administration took disciplinary action by expelling the assailant. However, several weeks later, his expulsion was repealed and he was re-admitted into Harvard. After a four-year-long legal battle, he was charged with misdemeanor and minor assault. Willingham informed the audience of statistics on sexual assault. She said that according to recent statistics, one in five women and one in 16 men will experience sexual assault. She explained that a rapist is most likely not a loner, or someone lurking in the shadows waiting to attack. A rapist can be someone who is widely liked, popular and someone you would confide in. In fact, 90 percent of victims personally know their assailant. In Willingham’s case, her assailant was a close male friend — someone she believed she could trust. “When I woke up to being sexually assaulted by a man who I thought was my friend, I was shocked,” Willingham said. “I didn’t fight, I froze; I fled mentally. I even tried to forgive him for what I hoped had been a misunderstanding.” After “The Hunting Ground” began to receive attention from the public, the responses were shocking. She explained that the public reacted by bringing the attention back to her culpability for being raped. Other responses seemed to play on race, framing her assailant as “a young black law student with a promising future.” Willingham expressed that there is no right step-by-step process to cope after a sexual assault. “It’s important that we be kind to ourselves, give ourselves time to heal,” Willingham said. “It’s common for parents and elders to say ‘Oh don’t wallow in it, just get over it.’ That is not an easy thing to do. There is no playbook.” Five years later, Willingham said there are sometimes days she cannot get out of bed. She said although she knows she is worthy of a dignified existence, she struggles with it everyday. However, her overall message was one of resilience. “Please remember, whether you are a man, a woman or beyond the binary,” she said. “Whether you are a survivor, or the last person that would ever believe could be sexually assaulted — Remember this is your fight.” For survivors and their friends and family members in need of support, Sexual Offense Support (SOS) is available anytime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling (302)-831-1001. Support is also available from the Center of Counseling and Student Development by calling (302)-831-2141.
Kacey Cornely/THE REVIEW
Protesters gathered in Legislative Park after marching in protest to legislative hall, with the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe performing in a drum circle. BY KACEY CORNELY STAFF REPORTER A crowd assembled at Legislative Green Park in Dover on Nov. 15 in a peaceful protest to call upon citizens to stand in solidarity with the people of Standing Rock. Protesters marched in opposition against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the expansion of pipeline along the eastern shore. On Nov. 2, the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation announced that The Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company, Chesapeake Utilities’ interstate natural gas transmission subsidiary, has finalized plans of expanding the 442-mile natural gas pipeline, which currently carries fuel from multiple points in Delaware and Maryland. The expansion will add 23 miles of new pipeline that will run through Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. This protest is important for citizens to unite in opposition against the construction of Dakota Access and Eastern Shore pipelines that could have extremely detrimental environmental impacts. Three Delawareans, Fe Echavarria of Wilmington, Billy Merrill of Bear and Dayna Crawmer of Harrington, united to organize this protest. Echavarria found about the pipeline movement in August and has been following it ever since. When she heard about the Nov. 15 event, she immediately contacted Merrill and Crawmer to join her in this fight. “We are in an age of awakening and are called to be accountable — with that comes responsibility,” Merrill said. “It’s essential we educate ourselves on these issues, embrace those who share the same passions and empower the community to do the same.” Merrill emphasized that we all need water, and there are viable alternatives to the dangerous fossil fuels that could potentially contaminate our water supply, such as solar and wind power. Crawmer voiced her primary concerns for the pipeline construction. She explained the chance that the pipeline will leak fossil fuels into our water supply is extremely high. The afternoon began with tribal blessings from the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe of the Chesapeake Bay area. The crowd began their march to Legislative Hall at 2:45 pm. Members of the community carried signs reading “People over pipelines,” “Water is life” and “#NoDAPL.” Raggi Rain from Dover, was one of many members of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe to march. She asks others to stand and fight with the indigenous people, not just for her tribe, but for themselves and several generations to come. “When we are looking at water we realize, most of us spent nine months before we were born in water,” Rain said. “When we are pushed into this world, we are coming through water. We as people know that water is life, water is medicine and water is healing.” Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin in 2017; however the Eastern Shore Natural Gas company is awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could happen early as April 2017. Echavarria suggested pulling money from banks who fund the pipeline construction as one way to take action. It is also essential that the community reach out to local legislators, senators and other government officials and vocalize concerns and opinions. “Knowledge is power,” Echavarria said. “At some point it is going to affect you, whether you believe it or not. We need to ensure that our children have a healthy earth to live on.”
http://udreview.com/assanis-signs-sanctuary-campus-petition/
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Minji Kong/THE REVIEW Alongside a growing list of 491 colleges and universities, President Dennis Assanis signed his name in support of undocumented students last week in a nationwide letter circulated out of Pomona College. BY LARISSA KUBITZ, SENIOR REPORTER AND KACEY CORNELY , STAFF REPORTER President Dennis Assanis signed a statement in support of undocumented students last week, alongside a growing list of 491 college and university presidents nationwide. The letter, circulated out of Pomona College, urges universities to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Policy (DACA), which took effect in 2012. This policy gives undocumented young people, including students and military veterans, a renewable reprieve which allows them to legally live and work in the United States for two years. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, because the policy never became law, it can be revoked at any moment. President-elect Donald Trump suggests that the removal of DACA is a “high priority.” Assanis’ support for undocumented students comes during the same week he received a petitionadvocating for the university to become a sanctuary campus. The phrase “sanctuary campus” is a status a college or university can obtain that protects its students who are undocumented immigrants. The idea of a “sanctuary campus” stemmed from “sanctuary cities,” which have existed since the 1980s. In these cities, which include Philadelphia and Baltimore, among others, city officials and police officers do not assist with the deportation efforts of federal immigration authorities. Pascha Bueno-Hansen, a women and gender studies professor who helped create the petition, explained that the idea of a college being a safe location for undocumented students stems from the Immigration and Customs policy that considers schools to be “sensitive locations,” along with some other public institutions such as hospitals. The term “sanctuary campus” gives the university the power not to voluntarily reveal the immigration status of its enrolled students. She added that a number of prominent universities have announced their stance as sanctuaries, most recently the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College. Other universities that have been established as sanctuary campuses include Portland University, Reed College and Wesleyan University. The motivation behind the faculty members’ push to raise Delaware to the same status, Bueno-Hansen said, is simple: “Love. Love of our community, love of our families, love of all us, all of us who are Latinx,” she said. Jean-Philippe Laurenceau, professor of psychological and brain sciences, also collaborated with fellow UD professors to create the petition. “The goal of the petition is not to voice a set of demands, rather to open up a line of conversation, dialogue and collaboration with the administration, and hopefully with input from the student’s themselves, we can address what needs to be done,” he said. Laurenceau expressed that the threat of removing the DACA policy creates a stressful and distracting learning environment for undocumented students. “These students are going to be really frightened and scared,” he said. “It’s going to affect their ability to focus on their education.” Laurenceau chose to get involved with the petition for many reasons. For one, some of his former and current students are undocumented immigrants. He explained that the immigrant’s story is what our country was founded on. “These are very vulnerable members of our community, and they cannot stand up for themselves,” Laurenceau said. “So who is going to stand up for them? I feel like that’s the least I could do to honor the journey my parents went through to give me the opportunity to be an American.” The DACA policy now offers temporary protection and work authorization to more than 700,000 undocumented students. Laurenceau explained that before DACA students were forced to live in the shadows. These undocumented students lived in fear of being questioned by police, for something as simple as being stopped for a traffic violation. The officers may ask undocumented students for ID, which they would not have without DACA. “DACA allows immigrants to get a license, to be able to work and to attend school,” Laurenceau said. Bueno-Hansen also expressed concern for undocumented students already at Delaware who live in fear of being torn from their families or deported. Bueno-Hansen wants the focus to remain on the progress being made with the petition, as well as President Assanis’ gesture (of signing the Pomona College letter) in favor of the movement. Assanis could not be reached for comment on the two petitions. “[Assanis] has stated his willingness and interest to support DACA,” Bueno-Hansen said. “In spirit he supports this effort. That needs to be celebrated.” Correction: The initial headline for this story read “Assanis signs sanctuary campus petition.” President Assanis did not sign the petition distributed by faculty to make UD a sanctuary campus; rather, he signed a national petition circulated by Pomona College affirming his support for undocumented students and DACA. |
AuthorAs a writer I truly understand how powerful our own words can be. They can be a catalyst for change, an inspiration for hope. Throughout my journalism minor at the University of Delaware, I discovered my passion for journalistic writing. "The purpose of journalism is to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted". Proper writing, whether it is journalistic or fiction should inspire others to speak their truth. |