By Michael Hogan, Staff Writer
There have been many calls to put an end to racial insensitivity that occurs on St. Bonaventure University’s campus, calling to action some faculty members and students.
Tracy Schrems, Ph.D., a lecturer of English, led a group of students, including freshmen Ethan Pryor, Kane Jordan and Anna Giglio, to investigate the question, “Where do we begin?”
With the help of her SBU 102 students, Schrems has become the catalyst of a movement on campus called #NoCasualties.
Schrems and her class intend to put an end to all campus racial and social prejudices.
“I have been fighting racism since I have been in college,” Schrems said. “It’s one thing to be a professor and tell your students that you hope this problem gets figured out, but it is another thing to sit in the Reilly Center [referring to the forum held a few weeks ago in response to a racially insensitive Instagram post] and listen to the pain, the anger and the fear that our minority students have. We need to put an end to this. I couldn’t, in good conscience, sit there and think that this isn’t my problem.”
While the Instagram incident and subsequent forum a few weeks ago sparked this flame, Pryor also added that it was a build-up of all of the racist incidents that he has witnessed that led him to take action.
“It’s kind of a build up of everything,” said Pryor. “Having Marc Lamont Hill come here to speak on campus about the All Bonaventure Reads book, it was a good prerequisite to what is at risk here. I think the Instagram post was a kickstarter to this movement. But the buildup of what has been going on recently in our era has really inspired me to become a part of this movement.”
Schrems and student leaders want to focus on educating students about racism, and doing it peacefully. They made it clear that violence and hate will not help them gain followers.
“Ignorance will not be taken as an answer anymore. The main point that we want to get out to our followers right now is education,” said Pryor. “Fundamentally, we are putting together some group discussions that will help others gain an understanding of where we want to go and what we want to do with this. After we educate, we are going to create group events on campus.”
Schrems added that, while it would be a thrill for this movement to have an effect on other college campuses and people across the country, sparking change at St. Bonaventure is the main goal.
“I would like to just fix the problem here first,” said Schrems. “This is going to be a nonviolent movement, with education and talking to people. Students of St. Bonaventure have decided to do something; they’ve decided to strike this problem.”
Pryor said these kinds of movements come and go, but as long as he is here, he will not let that happen. Instead, Pryor hopes to be the face of this movement over the course of his four years here and hopes that it continues even after he is gone.
“As long as I am here, the movement will be here,” said Pryor. “I think that, even after we see a fundamental change, you can’t really take away something like this. I think as soon as you stop caring less, the idea of culture might change back.”
Pryor encourages everyone to take a stand, making this campus more accepting of others.
“I would say that, if you are opposed to this movement, you don’t really understand what Bonaventure is all about,” said Pryor. “We’re a school that is fundamentally accepting to everyone and we want to build an appropriate culture here that does that.”
To Shcrems and Pryor, the only way to learn is to extend hands out to everyone on this campus. The people initiating #NoCasualties attempt to recraft the absent inclusive community on this campus to help make a better Bonaventure for everyone.
If you would like more information on the #NoCasualties movement, contact Pryor at pryorec17@bonaventure.edu or Shcrems at tschrems@sbu.edu.
Photo courtesy of Olean Times Herald
