Hi all,
Check out this wonderful post about finding common ground:
This morning, one of my Barnard classmates, E, lamented in a private chat comment that she was:
Feeling a bit shy but I was going to express my disgust at a school that tells us to be “bold” while also arresting and leaving students homeless and food insecure over peaceful protests. Shame on the admin for creating such a hostile environment.
This is not a free campus, it is a militarized one.
A commented in the chat that
we’re expected to carry on as if our friends/classmates were not evicted/arrested or that a genocide hasn’t been happening
L had zoomed into class from a tent at the encampment and told us that she was spending a lot of time in the art corner and that she felt that there was a strong sense of love and community.
A then responded in the chat to what L had said:
That part! The community I’ve seen show out is the most hopeful I’ve been for Columbia in a LONG time[.]
After class, I went up to Columbia to see for myself.
I paused when approaching campus to finish a call. A man approached me and spoke, but I didn’t hear him. When I finished my call, I saw him standing with other demonstrators and asked him if he wanted to speak with me. He said yes. He asked if I support Palestinians. I said that I do and he said,
“You disgust me.”
All of my other interactions - with police, campus security, and protesters on campus — were polite. At the entrance to the encampment, I was asked to read and abide by the community guidelines.
I ran into two fellow students and met and spoke with half a dozen recent alums and grad students while lettering banners and talking about what’s been happening on campus and beyond.
I felt safe and welcome and I also know that E was right: the heightened security had militarized the campus. Still, it was hard to believe that the encampment had made anyone feel unsafe.
with love,
L