By Jackie Roberts
Staff Writer
Across the country, hundreds of colleges are saying “enough is enough” to violence on college and high school campuses during the month of April. St. Bonaventure University is taking part in a national project called “Enough is Enough Week.” Bona’s will participate in this anti-violence awareness campaign starting April 15.
Vito Czyz, director of Safety and Security, serves as the faculty adviser for the campaign. Czyz explained the significance of the event being held in April.
“The awareness week is held in April since the deadly tragedies at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech happened during this month,” Czyz said. “At a national student affairs conference in 2008, Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, vice president of student affairs at Virginia Tech, declared ‘enough is enough.’ She called on schools and colleges to act with a ‘fierce urgency’ to stem the tide of societal violence.”
Allison Thomas, a freshman marketing major, said although Bonaventure is a fairly safe campus, she still feels it is important to recognize the value of promoting non-violence.
“Even though we have a safe community on campus, if something violent were to happen to someone on campus everyone would be upset,” Thomas said. “Luckily we haven’t seen any drastic violence here recently, but we need to support this campaign for the future. Also, as a Franciscan university, we should all partake in such a positive and giving campaign.”
When Rick Trietley, vice president of Student Life, attended a National Student Affairs Conference and found out about the initiative, he brought the program back to Bonaventure and started the initiative on campus.
More than 15 events have been implemented for the week in honor of the “Enough is Enough” campaign.
“It is our goal, as we plan activities for ‘Enough is Enough’ Week, to incorporate elements along this whole spectrum, from remembrance to proactive engagement in life-affirming and community-building activities,” Czyz said.
The first of the events is called “Take a Pledge” and will be held Monday. This event encourages students to stop by the “Enough is Enough” table set up outside the bookstore in the Reilly Center to sign a pledge in support of the campaign’s anti-violence message. Monday is also the Human Rights Awareness Drums for Darfur event in the Quick Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. “Enough is Enough” keynote speaker Joanne McAndrew will be discussing mental health in relation to violence prevention in the Walsh Auditorium at 7 p.m.
On the following day, “Give Back the Night” will be held on the steps of De La Roche Hall at 6:45 p.m. The program is geared toward raising awareness about sexual assault and includes student talks and “speak-outs.”
On Wednesday, there is a “Moment of Silence” gathering in the Hickey Dining Hall and 12:30 p.m. and LGBT True Inspiration presentation in the Murphy Auditorium. On April 18, “Healthy Relationships” sponsored by the SBU Wellness Center will take place in RC 211/213 at 7 p.m.
“Enough is Enough” wraps up April 19th with the Day of Silence for Victims of Harassment and Violence. Participants in the Day of Silence will not be allowed to speak all day, symbolizing and honoring those who have either felt forced into silence, or those who have been victims of interpersonal harassment or violence and have kept their experiences to themselves. That night, Olean schools will announce the anti-harassment and non-violence magazine project award winner for “Enough is Enough” and the Quick Center staff.
Charnice Martin, a freshman sports studies major, said she recognizes the importance of “Enough is Enough” week’s effort to end violence.
“It is important to participate in this campaign because people are losing their lives every day due to bullying and violence,” Martin said. “I’m glad to see St. Bonaventure getting involved with this awareness week. I will definitely be attending a few of the ‘Enough is Enough’ events. It’s important for our campus.”
The “Enough is Enough” campaign at St. Bonaventure gives special recognition to the collaborative efforts of SGA, Voices, Spectrum, BSU, Psych Club, the Women’s Studies department, the QCA staff, University Ministries, Tread Lightly, SBU for Life, the Residence Life staff and the Damietta Center staff for helping to spread awareness on campus throughout the month of April and beyond.
