Brought to you by your student body president; Jonathan Farmer.
First of all I know nothing regarding the 'rules of blogging', if such a thing even exists, but in my mind blogging is merely an arena to expound on self indulging Facebook posts. As such the following is a self indulging rant where I use the term artistic liberties to justify my disregard for punctuation, spelling, etc... and I've included a random title so it looks more official. :)
We are not in Kansas anymore Toto!
I used the famous Wizard of OZ catchphrase as the title of this blog because I love the thought that once we have gotten outside of "Kansas", which in this sentence for me represents the traditional way of looking at things- ourselves included, that at the end of the day we are all able to find in ourselves the very things we have been looking for while out in the world. ie Courage or Confidence, Heart or Compassion, and Brains or Wisdom. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and sometimes it is a step up but either way everyone needs to get out of the normal and realize that we, and those around us, are extraordinary and can do extraordinary things.
Close positive sappy Facebook type post and insert angry argumentative post-
While I am sure there is little doubt that we are not in Kansas I have had some doubts recently that we all made it out of high school. For example this week in discussions with Gary Dukes, Darin Silbernagel, and Megan Habermann I was told that my opinion as Student Body President mattered little in relation to what administration felt was an appropriate course of action, that what students and I wanted to do was merely an "optional" endeavor and they would not allow us to pursue it...No rules were to be broken, no policies neglected, and no procedure circumvented, just students participating in the entirety of an educational conference as they have for years and paying for it with student approved funds. Although our "optional" cause would create a greater sense of community, solidify and secure knowledge of social justice issues, and ensure the safety of students it was still not going to be allowed.
I felt as if I was back in high school and was being patted on the head for trying my hardest but that the grown-ups were now going to step in and make the "correct" decisions for me. It was no different than in high school where the student's decision making power was merely administrators giving lip service to an idea of students knowing what was best for students and then forcing students into making the decisions they themselves want to be made. In my aforementioned meeting there were no add-visors in the room who could add to the conversation and assist in making the students vision reality but instead there were super-visors who's power and opinion would continuously super-cede the students.
I did everything I could to satisfy the concerns they expressed by citing those with more power than myself, not to mention the administrators, and did so with great success... but to no avail... there was still one concern that I could not address I cannot satisfy a concern that is not fully expressed or one that is based on the belief of inherent superiority. Since I was not given an explanation I cannot tell you why our choosing to attend a documentary regarding how increased education levels lower incarceration levels is considered an "optional" part of the conference. I can tell you that in my experience when an explanation is not given, after one has been sought, it is either because they do not have one or they only have one that is unjustifiable to the public... or at least those of us that are being held down. I believe the term that first came to my mind was... well let's actually discuss the second term that came to my mind which was "Institutional Oppression".
Portland Community College taught me that Institutional Oppression, which is based on the belief in inherent superiority or inferiority,occurs when established laws, customs, and practices systematically reflect and produce inequities based on one’s membership in targeted social identity groups and happens regardless of intent. I believe there is little doubt that these administrators believe that inherently their judgement is more relevant than ours as students. I believe this because when finding themselves no longer with policy to quote or a system to blame, the decision came down to a judgement call and the administration judged that their reservations- what ever they may really be- were more important than our request stay the night in Corvallis and safely obtain information from among their peers at the Oregon Students of Color Coalition Conference... and there is nothing now that I can do about it... But there is something YOU can do... Get Involved- Stand Up- and Shout Out-loud. Institutionalized Oppression goes on all the time and a conversation cannot be had to address it unless you are willing to share your voice.
PLEASE provide us with ANY comments, questions, or concerns you may have.
You can also get directly involved by stopping by the ASWOU office and picking up an application to become involved. I am looking for a Presidential Intern... Just stop by and ask us how you can make a difference.
