This letter was submitted to The Hilltop Monitor by Calvin Heit, president of College Republicans and first-year Oxbridge institutions & policy and international relations major.

On Wednesday March 31, I placed College Republicans fliers in the Pryor Learning Commons with the intent to build some new momentum for the club and promote our sign-up table in the Union on April 19. 

However, that Saturday morning I received word that the fliers were vandalized, ridden with hateful messages. “Republican Party” was replaced with “white supremacy.” They also claimed that College Republicans had blood on their hands. The act itself was incredibly upsetting, but I was even more upset that this happened on our campus. 

I knew the fliers would generate some disagreement from a large portion of our student population, but I honestly did not believe that kind of hate existed on this campus. These kinds of acts highlight the importance and necessity of clubs like College Republicans and College Democrats in promoting civility about issues filled with division. Despite the hate exhibited by this act, I am confident this incident can spark a period of growth for all of us here at William Jewell College.

Since joining College Republicans, I have been increasingly excited about the future of the club, so this kind of retaliation felt personal. It was not the civility and respect that are supposed to constitute so much of our campus’ identity and culture. It is the purpose of our club to add to the civility and constructive discourse at Jewell. 

We are not here to be exclusive, talk trash to those with differing opinions, or plan a riot on the steps of Jewell Hall. Indeed, it is essential for clubs like College Republicans to promote a diversity of perspectives. We, as future leaders, cannot sacrifice original or constructive thinking because we are afraid to be wrong – let alone when a member of the Jewell community attempts to deride it through misrepresentation. It is our aim to create a constructive and well-informed discussion of what it means to be a Republican in the 21^st Century, and foster respect in our bifurcated political discourse. We should all strive to improve our understanding and beliefs through civil discourse and experience – most importantly with people whose beliefs differ from our own.

Jewell’s commitment to inclusivity and civility is admirable, exemplified in its CTI curriculum and branding. However, we still have a long way to go, together. We place a lot of emphasis on being empathetic and understanding of someone else’s identity, be it socio-economic, ethnic, race, gender, sexuality or anything else. That is fantastic and should be continued and encouraged as much as possible. But empathy is not confined to understanding others’ identities, it also requires respect for their ideas and values that differ from your own. 

Civil interaction between differing ideas and agendas is what drives the advancement of our society, both academically and culturally. Music, technology, art, marketing, sports, are all advanced when diverse sets of well-informed, experienced individuals participate in civil discussion about the future. That is what we as future leaders must strive to encourage, just as much as the inclusivity of identities. It is of course a noble effort to vie for equality of people, but in order to produce a better world for our future selves and our children, we must also strive for the civility of ideas.

We, College Republicans at Jewell, want to attract people of all sorts to discuss how to build a better America, one based on strong individuality and families – that ensures the protection of freedoms and rights without the abdication of responsibility or duty. We will oppose any unjust discrimination against any persons or groups on the grounds of race or ethnicity, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation or birthplace. 

We stand for an American future that is both anchored and open. We acknowledge the wealth of discussions and debates about these issues across the U.S. and within the Republican Party. But we are very confident that many Americans – of all sorts of colors, identities and creeds – will find these ideas attractive as we work together to reform American political life.

By the way, we know that everyone will not agree with our ideas. That is why we will never ask Jewell’s Student Senate to use your student fees to go to our club. We challenge other political clubs at Jewell to do the same.

So to whoever wrote those horrible things on our fliers, thank you. You have exposed a problem on our campus that we should all commit to removing. I was insulted to be told I have blood on my hands, as if my ideals and beliefs celebrate violence or violate morality. As if the Republican party, like any other large ideological group, is defined solely by its worst actors, not those attempting to improve and redefine it. 

In order to truly achieve our goals of equality and inclusivity, we must also strive for civility and respect, which I know we are all capable of. Take this event not as one of injury for our student body, but as one of growth for our campus community. When faced with problems like this, we must look it square in the eyes and never back down. That is why political clubs exist, and it is how civility and respect will carry all of us into the future. See you April 19.

Letters to the editor can be submitted for publication by emailing monitor@william.jewell.edu.

I was sexually assaulted by four different men before I knew it was wrong

Content Warning: This Letter to the Editor contains details of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is suffering from trauma due to sexual assault, please consult this list of resources: William Jewell Student Health Center, MOCSA, William Jewell Office of Counseling Services or William Jewell Student Life. Please note that Student Life is a mandated reporter of assault, whereas the other resources listed are confidential. If you need immediate counseling, contact the MOCSA hotline at (816) 531-0233 or (913) 642-0233, or chat online with a trained staff member. 

Growing up, I was taught about consent. I knew “no means no” and that if people touched my body without a “yes” it was wrong. But as I grew up, I started to view my body and sexuality differently. 

I was a late bloomer. I didn’t get my first boyfriend until I was just about 18 years old. We talked about sex, and I knew it was important to him. I was excited to experience what I’d heard my friends talking about. After I lost my virginity (a phrase I am not particularly fond of), I began to think that sex was to be expected. I was there for enjoyment, and even on days when I wasn’t up to it, I let him use me for sex. There were many days where I did not consent and came out of the experience feeling worse than before he started. However, I thought that was how relationships were supposed to be and that as long as he said he cared about me it was fine. 

The next relationship I had was primarily focused on sex. I did not like that, so I told him we needed to stop having sex. I hoped that it would allow us to grow closer emotionally, but every night I would go to see him, he would coerce me into sex. Rarely did I want to, but I believed that my relationship depended on making him happy and entertaining him. 

There was a night I said “no” explicitly, but we still continued, and I allowed it. Afterward, he apologized and said he felt terrible, so I assumed it would be fine. After two relationships where consent was never at the forefront, I was beginning to think it was the same with every relationship. I was very wrong. 

A month before I came to college, I went on a date with a man seven years older than me. He kept asking for me to come over, and I was very uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with him. I decided that we could meet at a SONIC Drive-In. I did not want to go, but I felt the need to appease him. Immediately after entering his car, he was forcing me to kiss him and proceeded to put his hand down my pants. We were in public, in daylight, and his two-year-old kid was in the back seat. I attempted to talk to and play with his kid to try and get him to stop. After a few minutes I made an excuse and left. I did not tell anyone, and I went home feeling empty. 

I thought that he was just an anomaly or that I was somehow to blame. Like, maybe I said something to him that made him think that was what I wanted or that it was just expected out of me. My mom never talked about sex very much and my dad only made jokes about it. How was I supposed to know anything about sexual assault when all I knew were the extreme cases I watched in “Criminal Minds”? I was convinced it wasn’t really sexual assault because I didn’t end up bloody or with bruises or left in the middle of nowhere. 

When I came to college, I thought I would be safe. I knew campus was small and hoped it would be easy to assess which guys to avoid and which ones were keepers. I went to see an upperclassman boy. It was the third time we had spent time together. He wanted me to spend the night, and I did not. He wanted to have sex, and I did not. He continually tried to take my clothes off, and I said “nuh-uh” every time. He continued regardless. I did not want to ruin his fun or be a downer. After a while of repeating “nuh-uh,” I just stopped saying anything. After, he apologized, and I told him it was no big deal. I left feeling empty and swore I wouldn’t tell anyone.

I’m happy to say that I did tell someone. 

That someone is the reason I understand now that I am not something for men to use. My body is mine and is not for someone else’s entertainment. I finally understand that rape is not just the brutal and rough action depicted in crime shows. Rape is every time someone says “no” or “nuh-uh” or “not tonight” or “maybe later,” and the other person proceeds anyway. It took me 20 years to finally understand what rape really is, and it’s heartbreaking that it took that long.

I don’t know if anything could’ve stopped my rape, but I think I could’ve recognized sexual assault a lot sooner if I had been educated on more common forms of assault. I like to think that our generation will be the one to stop rape and sexual assault, but if we refuse to talk about it or don’t educate ourselves in the first place, it’ll never get better.

Everyone needs something different when it comes to trauma, so it’s important to respect boundaries. However, the only way to make the world a better place is to open up about our experiences and hope that someone will be there to listen and understand and help you through it all. It’s our job to be the understanding ones. The ones who want to help. The ones who will teach their friends, family and children about different forms of sexual assault and that their voices matter. No matter your story, no matter how much you think someone won’t listen or that you’re alone, there will always be someone who cares. Speak up, and act now.

If you or someone you know is suffering from trauma due to sexual assault, please consult this list of resources: William Jewell Student Health Center, MOCSA, William Jewell Office of Counseling Services or William Jewell Student Life. Please note that Student Life is a mandated reporter of assault, whereas the other resources listed are confidential. If you need immediate counseling, contact the MOCSA hotline at (816) 531-0233 or (913) 642-0233, or chat online with a trained staff member.

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please email monitor@william.jewell.edu.

The Black Student Alliance (BSA) of William Jewell College released an open letter regarding their name change from Black Student Association to the Black Student Alliance. Read their open letter below.

“These “educated” people, however, decry any such thing as race consciousness; and in some respects, they are right. They do not like to hear such expressions as “Negro literature,” “Negro poetry,” “African art,” or “thinking Black”; and, roughly speaking, we must concede that such things do not exist. These things did not figure in the courses which they pursued in school, and why should they? “Aren’t we all Americans? Then, whatever is American is as much the heritage of the Negro as of any other group in this country.””

– Carter G. Woodson ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro’ (1933)

Dear William Jewell College community,

Moments of deep cultural awareness emerge out of events that conjure empathy among different groups of a society. That empathy is felt by other groups and during this instance of recognition comes something stronger. A bond that unites people across ideological, geographic, and economic lines. This is solidarity.

Unfortunately, the dislocation of Black consciousness is a natural impediment of White civil society. It seems inarguable that the presence of Black tradition, language, thought, and scholarship is at a deficit with the dominant process of learning proffered in a systemically White world. This is not a hopeless situation. Simply one that requires action.

We, the Black Student Alliance, seek to lean into the heightened awareness for racial inequity that the long-silenced activists, organizers, artists, writers, and teachers have been leading. We’ll do this by energizing the same passion toward discovery that drives the Nonames, Ta-Nahisi Coateses, Angela Davises, and Patrisse Cullorses of our society.

By building and hosting programs with the experience of Blackness being the top priority of our engagements, we will assert the fact of systematic neglect of particularly Afrocentric perspectives. We will reconcile our own experiences, as William Jewell students, with the broader body of history and theory surrounding the Black experience as told by scholars, activists, organizers, and allies alike.

Our commitment is to our members, our facility is support, and our goal is consciousness. To infuse intention into our activities, we ask that each person who takes the time to grow closer to this campus and its Black student population also invest with intentionality in the aim of our motives.

Rather than cultivating a closed circuit of camaraderie within the isolated confines of a ‘Black Student Association’ we will formally move forward as the ‘Black Student Alliance’. To better achieve our goals and forge productive relationships with the levers of power and influence on this campus, the concept of ‘allyship’ ought to be an ever present, primary concern of our activities.

BSA has a humble request for our campus of learners, educators, and administrators: That you engage in an, examination, to any extent, of the ubiquity of White culture. We further request that you consider joining our conversation and opening yourself up to truths that compete with your preconceived system of belief.

This is the mission of the Black Student Alliance at William Jewell College.

Respectfully,

The 2020-2021 Black Student Alliance Cabinet

Following the murder of George Floyd, William Jewell College’s chapter, Zeta Phi, of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (FIJI) organized a fundraiser for the Southern Poverty Law Center and We Love Lake Street and is also creating a new inclusion committee within the fraternity to start in fall 2020. In the letter to The Hilltop Monitor, written on behalf of the Zeta Phi chapter of FIJI, Jamie Briscoe, senior chemistry major, and Jack Still, senior economics and political science major, describe the decisions and the conversations that ultimately led the fraternity to act.

In the weeks that followed George Floyd’s tragic death, the members of our House looked on with both consternation and pride as protesters flooded the streets in support of racial justice. The distress, pain and grief seen on the face of each protester served as a reminder of America’s long history of transgressions against people of color. But, at the same time, the unity and desire for progress displayed through these peaceful demonstrations deeply inspired us just as they have moved leaders elsewhere across the country to initiate change. 

Like many others in the Jewell community, we began seeking out both individual and collective opportunities to lend our efforts to the cause. Some of us attended peaceful protests right here in Kansas City, while others donated to anti-racist organizations leading efforts to combat hatred and discrimination. 

One thing, however, was clear: our brotherhood – along with the rest of Greek Life and the Jewell student body – demonstrated a willingness to take a stand against racism that has not been seen at such a scale before. It has become evident that our generation will bear the responsibility of finally delivering true equality to all people without regard for their race. And, if the actions taken by Jewell students and young people across the country are any indication of our ability to successfully do so, we have tremendous faith. 

It will take sustained and committed action from those who benefit most from the status quo. We must all be willing to exchange our current comfort and privilege for a type of progress that, in the end, frees us all from the unforgiving burden of systemic racism. Here at the Zeta Phi chapter, we believe that Greek Life everywhere has a substantial and unique role to play in fighting for racial equality in communities across the United States. 

That is why we followed the lead of many sororities and fraternities nationwide, releasing an official statement attesting to the ways in which our values commit each member of our brotherhood to anti-racism. After a few days, though, we began to realize that it would not be sufficient for us to only vocalize our collective stance outwardly into the community. 

Our chapter understands that if we truly hope to make an impact at such a pivotal moment in history, and to achieve a greater level of understanding and acceptance within our own brotherhood, it is necessary that we also look to do our part in serving worthy causes and striving to make the required changes internally. 

As a start, we have created a fundraiser to support both the Southern Poverty Law Center – a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that aims to expose hate groups and provide education on tolerance – and We Love Lake Street – a charity seeking to rebuild and reopen small businesses affected by the death of George Floyd. Our chapter plans to match every donation made to this Go Fund Me fundraiser up to $1000. The total amount raised will then be split between these two causes. It is our hope that members of the community at Jewell will chip in what they have and share our efforts to reach as many people as possible. 

At the beginning of the fall semester, we also plan to introduce a brand new inclusion committee dedicated to maintaining a healthy and welcoming atmosphere in our House. The history of racial discrimination, homophobia and other forms of exclusion is a story that is all too familiar for Greek Life. Zeta Phi hopes to work with our fellow members of Greek Life and the entire community at Jewell to permanently end this trend and place fraternities and sororities at the forefront of the fight for equality. 

Donate to the fundraiser using this link.