Students at Southwestern University organized a protest targeting the administration due to their poor handling of instances of sexual assault. The protest began on Fraternity row, as many student feel there’s been a blatant lack of action to both ensure safety for students, and to protect and advocate for victims of sexual assault. The protest then went through the campus center, McCombs, cut across the Mall to the courtyard between the first-year residence halls, and then proceeded on to President Burger’s house. Several students shared stories and concerns with the president, who gave a brief statement thanking students for coming out and for taking action to make the changes they want to see happen, happen. Students plan to continue their efforts until the university begins to make and to implement the necessary policies.
Should people be aware of the ways in which they are privileged?
“Most definitely. One of the most dangerous parts of privilege, white or otherwise, is the privilege of not knowing that you have it. To live without being aware of, or worse, denying one’s own privilege is to discount and discredit the experiences of those who don’t live with that same privilege. I’m aware that while I do my best to be sensitive to and respectful towards issues of race, as a white person, I still benefit from existing racism.
All too often I hear white people claim that race is an issue of the past. White privilege is the privilege of only having to see the progress that has been made, and not the work that still needs to be done. “Not being racist” doesn’t mean you don’t benefit from racism.
I often see privileged people become furious at the mere suggestion that they have privilege because they assume it means they don’t deserve the things they worked for. I’ve worked extremely hard for all of the things I’ve achieved- and I am proud of that- but I try to remain aware of the huge advantages that helped me along the way. There’s a fine line to walk between recognizing that while we all deserve to celebrate reaching the finish line, we didn’t all start the race in the same place.
Still, no matter how aware of my privilege I may be, there’s a limit to what I can do about it. I can’t change the socioeconomic gap correlated to race, I can’t make police officers stop giving differential treatment based upon race- no matter how much I wish that I could. What I can control are my attitudes and my actions. As a white person, other white people are far more likely to listen to me if I challenge their notions about race- despite the unfairness of my bias. I believe it’s wrong to speak about experiences that I haven’t had because my privilege protected me from them. But, by being aware of my privilege, I can contribute to a greater platform for those who are less privileged can be heard. Being aware of one’s own privilege is merely the first step.”
“To me, white privilege describes the daily safety and security, the freedom from discrimination and micro-aggressions, that is so customary to my life that it is hard to even see. It is the fact that, from before I was even born, I had better prospects for my life than many people will ever have. Beyond living with less fear, with more advantages, and so on, white privilege is living without commentary on my race, without the worry of how I represent my race to the world. The greatest power lives in invisibility, in perceived solidarity. When a person of color commits a crime, it is construed as a representation of their entire race. When a white person commits a crime, the culpability is solely their own. We are so quick to accuse all Muslims of terrorism thanks to the actions of only a few, yet we do not think for a minute that the Westboro Bapstist Church represents all Christians by any means. It is a very dangerous lie to believe that white people do not have a race or a cultural identity, and there is so much dangerous power in this invisibility when it comes to race. The average white person’s actions and perspectives are perceived as unbiased, despite the fact that they are extremely biased because we live without ever having to see the discrimination that people of color live with. And because we are perceived as unbiased, it is far too easy to invalidate the lived experiences of non-white people as a “neutral party.” White privilege is the fact that, if I need a band-aid, I can find one that matches my skin. And because I have white privilege, I never even noticed this until someone else pointed it out to me. One of the most dangerous parts of white privilege is the privilege of not knowing that you have it.”
You made it to college: the golden years! As far as your parents are concerned, you may be beginning to realize that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. However, if your parents’ lives are just as difficult when you’re home as they are when you aren’t, you’re doing something wrong.
1. Make up their bed when they aren’t around. There’s just something about climbing into a neat bed that makes the heart happy. As you get older, you just might find yourself making up your own bed as well.
2. Cook them lunch when they work from home or have a day off. Corporate America kinda sucks if you haven’t noticed yet. And who doesn’t love a home cooked meal?
3. Make and set a time for dinner. Even if it’s in front of a TV screen, you’ll come to appreciate the time spent with your family.
4. Do the grocery shopping. Your parents are paying for your food; the least you can do is pick it up for them.
5. Leave them hand written notes. I still find some old ones laying around when I clean up their room. Clearly they mean something to them if they keep them for that long.
6. Spend time with them on your birthday. Your special day is just as much about them as it is about you. Yes, no one really enjoys the awkwardness of having Happy Birthday sung to them before they try to blow out all of their candles in one go. But if your parents go out of their way to get a cake to begin with you better be there to enjoy it.
7. Tell them you love them. Especially when you’re angry with them. No one is perfect and your parents are no exception. But you make mistakes as well. And even if they’re too stubborn to show it, they probably do feel bad and want to make it better.
8. Clean the kitchen. Hate doing dishes? I’m sure they weren’t a fan of changing your diaper and having the risk of you peeing on them while you screamed your head off, but they did it anyway. You’ll live.
9. Bring your dad a drink when he’s doing yard work. (Beer is preferable but an ice-cold glass of water or lemonade will do.)
10. Take your mom out on dates. She lugged you around for 9 months and then put up with your less than glamorous teenage years. The least you can do is buy her lunch.
11. Relocate your “sweet setup” to the living room. Though your parents may complain about the space you’re taking up (don’t be a pig) they’ll enjoy actually seeing you. Let’s face it, just about everything you’re doing in your room you can do just as easily in your living room. And if you can’t, maybe you should change some of the things you’re doing.
12. Introduce them to your friends. If you aren’t proud to show off the people you spend most of your time with, why are you spending so much time with them?
The day that you have to face the very frightening and very real reality that your parents won’t be around forever will come. The things you could have and should have done will bother you at the most inconvenient of times. The things that you did, the special memories you shared, and the love you showed and received will warm your heart and bring the happy kind of tears to your eyes. Sure, your dad isn’t actually a superhero and your mom finally has a life that isn’t exclusively about you anymore, but they love you more than you will ever know and you can’t help but love them too. Your parents are the best advocates you’ll ever have, so keep them close, love them fiercely, and make them feel appreciated.
Everyday Thoughts and College Life 