An open forum discussion was held after students pressured the administration for action regarding the student who dressed as NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick for Halloween. The forum was met with mixed feelings from students.

Vice President and Dean of Student Life Joyce Bylander and Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusivity Brenda Bretz began by situating the events of Halloween weekend. They repeated that the college cannot release information surrounding the disciplinary process, which is still under investigation. Bylander emphasized that “any form of speech that offends is difficult to manage,” but warned that “if there are violations of the community standards, the college will act and [students] may never know…the process is private.”  This sentiment of privacy was reinforced in an email recently sent to students from Bylander in which she wrote “you may very well not learn of the convening of a hearing or of its outcome.”

Bylander recognized the difference between “physical harm and psychological harm” to students affected by the costume and the photo that was circulated on social media and encouraged students to “answer speech with speech.”

Bretz supported Bylander’s support of student activism saying, “my hope is in you and in me and in all of us.”

Bylander and Bretz then moved on to discuss the recently established intercultural competency task force and how the college plans to implement campus changes.

One aspect of this plan is to host a sustained dialogue between the lacrosse team and other student leaders on campus in January. Mitchell Andres ’18, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, of which the student who wore the Kaepernick costume was a member, said he looks forward to working with other students. “I know our team is more than excited for the opportunity to come back here and take part in actual workshops,” he said.

Bylander and Bretz also mentioned other action plans that President Margee Ensign addressed in a recent campus-wide email to detail her ideas for next steps in the community, such as hosting dinners at her house. Bylander also encouraged more student engagement, saying “if you have ideas, also send them to us.”

Andres expressed happiness at the administration’s declaration of steps for the future because, “we [the lacrosse team] have been kept in the dark just as much as the rest of the school.”

Kevin Ssonko ’20, however, was frustrated that the administration and faculty was not taking enough action, in his opinion. He asked Bylander and Bretz “how are we going to challenge that [white supremacy and systemic racism] in a very legitimate way?” He then continued, “we get satisfied with teaching people the language [of social justice]…but they rarely ever put that language into practice.”

Morgan Bates ’18 said that she “appreciated hearing more about the college’s preexisting and budding initiatives to foster dialogue about inclusivity,” but was “still left with questions about the roles of faculty, staff and administration.” She continued to say that she still senses “a lack of transparency in regards to inclusivity training for our faculty and staff. I long for more transparency so that I can approach difficult conversations with professors and request for in-class dialogue more effectively and knowledgeably.”

After the forum, Bylander said that students should continue to stay active in advocating for the issues that are important to them. “What are we willing to continue to do, how are we willing to continue to talk about this if there’s more to be said?” she asked.

“At the end of the day, however,” Bates reasoned, “I don’t believe the responsibility of having these conversations can [or] should fall entirely onto students. We are all Dickinsonians, therefore we are all responsible for having these vital conversations.”

The forum was held in the Social Hall with an audience of approximately sixty people on Tuesday, Nov. 14.