On Wednesday, I spoke to Associate Dean of Students Ben Williams. He told me that somebody leaked his phone number. He’s received back-to-back calls from churches that espouse anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, from blocked numbers that leave voicemails with messages like “Go f— yourself.”
Williams announced that the dry recruitment period will extend to Jan. 30 on Monday, and the student reaction has been intense, to say the least. It’s what almost certainly caused the harassment to Williams. Though I understand the visceral reaction to the unexpected policy change, it in no way warranted harassment, and if anything, the public mockery and rude phone calls are only going to hurt the cause.
We need to change our approach if we want to see change with dry recruitment; we need to be having conversations. We need to be more careful about how we express our opinions on the extension. We need to stop personal attacks and start focusing on the actual issue at hand.
No one deserves to be harassed for a work-related decision. We have a responsibility to be kind — to recognize that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We need to extend that to everyone, no matter how much we disagree with their decisions.
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to read the posts on Fizz, but it also makes us look bad as students. I don’t want to be grouped in with the students sending Williams’ information to anti-LGBT churches, and I’m sure most of you wouldn’t either. I know the students at Trinity, and I know that we are kinder than this.
We have to show this kindness if we want to keep the trust with the Dean’s office. We want them to be on our side – to truly hear us out and know that we have good intentions.
Students, especially at a private university, have the ability to influence the policies imposed on us. We can actually have our voices heard if they aren’t buried underneath insults, petty remarks and harassment.
I’m not saying that I agree with the policy or that I don’t understand why people are angry and confused; it’s upsetting to receive news that open parties may not happen for the rest of the semester. It was sudden, and two Greek Council Executive members said they weren’t aware of the change beforehand. The email didn’t outline the events that barred potential new members (PNMs) from going. I heard a lot of concerns about accidentally violating the rule by running into a PNM at Bombay’s Bicycle Club or inviting a friend who happens to be a PNM to a birthday party. I get why it was scary and frustrating.
Still, I don’t think we should have responded to it in the way that many students did. I’m not entirely convinced I need to be up in arms about the change. I respect that the lack of conversation before the announcement was unsettling, but we don’t have all of the information yet. Administration and Fraternity and Sorority Life are working on the boundaries of the policy. I still need more information.
If we want to change the policy, we have to change our approach first. Meet with administrators, write to them or to us, push back in an organized and focused way. Don’t lose sight of the issue. Don’t hide behind anonymous Fizz posts and blocked phone numbers. Make your voices heard.
