‘There is hope’
Photo // Mira Costello
WHAT ACTION WILL YOU TAKE? In Fireside, posters invite students to call their representatives, offering topics including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Section 504 and federal student loan programs. Other posters gave students a chance to add their own concerns and plans of action, encouraging discussion.
IU South Bend orgs. join Nat’l Day of Action for Higher Ed
By: Mira Costello
Editor-in-Chief
On April 17, IU South Bend’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors participated in the National Day of Action for Higher Education. The two-hour event, hosted in the Grill and Fireside, included faculty and student “teach-in” sessions on various issues, as well as an “action room” with resources empowering students to contact their elected officials, know their rights and engage in advocacy.
IU South Bend’s Student Government Association, Anthropological Society, Staff Council and Resident Hall Association also sponsored the event.
EDUCATION FOR EDUCATION. The National Day of Action for Higher Education proclaimed a stance against “antidemocratic pressures” on education and offered discussion and action steps for students and faculty.
Jake Mattox, English professor and IU South Bend AAUP President, gave opening remarks and moderated the teach-in segments with Vice President Bill Feighery.
Speakers included Shahir Rizk, biochemistry professor, whose talk was titled “Finding our Shared Humanity”; Chloe Garner, SGA president, who discussed the importance of student voices in politics; Caleb Rice, SGA senator, who discussed arrests of noncitizen student activists for Palestine; Bill Feighery, who discussed the role of universities in the public sphere; Jack Laney and Robin Weaver, former opponents in the SGA vice presidential election, who jointly discussed queer representation and higher education; Anthropology Professor Josh Wells, who explained “How It All adds Up”; and freshman Gavin Bennett, who concluded the teach-ins with remarks about “Speaking Up for the Sake of Community.”
“People fear that under this regime, they will lose not just their livelihood, but their lives, because of who they love, because of the color of their skin, because of what they believe in. But this is not the first time people have faced such threats,” Bennett said in his speech. “People have fought against oppression in this country since its conception. And while it is easy to stay silent in times like this, unless we speak up, unless we voice our distaste, unless we organize and move to make change, this toxic hatred will only grow and spread.”
“PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING BACK.” AAUP President and English professor Jake Mattox delivers closing remarks.
“There is hope,” Bennett concluded. “While there will always be those in this community that hate, they will always, always be drowned out by those who love.”
Jack Laney, SGA senator and future vice president, said his motivation is advocating for the wellbeing and equal treatment of all people.
“I am never, ever afraid to use my voice to speak up for what I believe in,” he said in an interview. “I don’t care if there’s literally a SWAT team outside ready to arrest me. I don’t care. We all deserve to be treated equally, and if I see any sort of disparity there, I will do everything within my personal power to stop that.”
Caleb Rice said he participated in the Day of Action to support the positive influence universities can have on the community.
“I’ve seen firsthand…that what universities and colleges do can change people’s lives,” he said. “And it’s because of the faculty, it’s because of the resources that those universities have, and I don’t think there’s any question that those two things are under direct threat in this country right now.”
While Mattox said he was nervous about how the event might be received, he was happy with the outcome.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. In Fireside, resources from the Immigrant Defense Project were available for students to take, including cards with Spanish and English instructions about what to do if you or someone else is approached or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I wasn’t sure what the atmosphere would feel like with half the room here just to get their lunch,” Mattox laughed. “I respect that. But people seemed to be listening. I thought the speakers were really articulate and really nicely stating so many different aspects of the current attacks on higher ed. Once this idea was uttered, it was so impressive how different organizations and groups immediately said, ‘we want to be part of this.’ It was super important to have such a coalition.”
In closing the event, Mattox echoed Bennett’s sentiments. He referenced a recent protest by Indiana public school teachers, as well as Harvard University’s refusal to accept Trump-administration demands to quell free expression.
“The…kinds of policies and decisions being made at the state and federal level can contribute to the feeling of despair and hopelessness,” Mattox said. “But…people are fighting back. People are organizing. People are insisting on being heard. And they are in for a fight, but they are fighting back.”
