The Recollections: Life at a PWI Junior Year Part 1

By far Junior Year of College has been the most memorable and eventful. Often time I wondered what exactly does it take to rally the people that occupy the small, quiet place of Cullowhee, NC. What does it take for those around you, effected by the same issues that effect you, to care? What does it take for people to speak out and say something? To say that enough is enough? For administration to say that "I see you, I feel you"? Years pass and we see the same microaggressions, the same tired prejudice, the same blatant acts of disrespect, disregard, and racism. It's enough to send shots of heat to the soon to be fire yet not enough to light it. On the fateful afternoon of January 15th, 2018 (also MLK Day), things in the small college town of Cullowhee changed forever when a student yelled "Go home" and "N*gger" out of the window of the Walker Residence during the campus' Alpha Phi Alpha chapter's annual march, some say that it had been yelled from Scott hall as well. Although the march consisted of many students, faculty, and upper administration nothing was done. No one winced or acted surprised. We waited days. Finally, I sent an email to our administration and from there things would changed. I would be joined by my peers, faculty and staff to promote a change on the campus that filled with hidden hate an bias. Although there was a fair share of support we also faced a fair amount of push back. During the first forum that was held with students and upper administration, a question was asked to the Vice Chancellor. The question was "What if this was a room full of athletes?". He shrugged his shoulders. He. Shrugged. His. Shoulders. In that moment, we knew that changes would be hard to achieve and that we would face a certain bitterness from not only our peers but from the administration too. While he was taking our concerns with disregard we were plotting and the next day the fire was blazing.