By Nicole Acevedo, Assistant Editor
On Monday, March 29, 2021, Western New England University students gathered on Deliso Lawn to peacefully demonstrate their dissatisfaction with administration’s decisions in regards to graduation and COVID-19 protocols.
Only two days before the protest, over one-hundred students and faculty members wrote an in-depth email to the President of the University, Dr. Robert Johnson, expressing their concerns and disappointments with the decisions made this year. The email spotlighted issues such as how classrooms and buildings on campus are not properly set up for social distancing, as well as the lack of “transparency” with students when it comes to the reality of COVID-19 testing and results.
The email was met with a response from President Johnson, formally inviting some of the individuals at the forefront of the movement, which included Andrew Cohen, Rylee Plourde, Chloe Wood, Courtney Colaccio, Gabby Krause, and Gehrig Burnett, to a meeting on Monday afternoon (prior to the protest) with himself, Vice President Jarzabski, and other administration members to continue the conversation on their concerns.
Both the email from students and faculty and President Johnson’s response can be found on The Westerner’s website, alongside a separate letter from student leader Emma Colegrove. Colegrove’s letter to the WNE administration was a personal and captivating statement that also pulled to light many dilemmas the upper executives of the University have seemingly failed to elaborate upon. For instance, the letter states how “The campus is closed to visitors, yet the Admissions office continues to schedule tours for prospective students,” and “There have been cancellations of DIII sports’ entire seasons, but continue to allow intramural sports to take place.”
The points made by Colegrove and those who addressed President Johnson directly mirror most of what the rest of the student body is thinking. These call-outs were done in the best way possible: honestly and respectfully.
It was with this honesty and respect that the aforementioned students believed a peaceful protest was necessary. Rylee Plourde had this to say about the demonstration: “Our purpose of having the protest was to truly give all students the opportunity to physically show their support with the movement. While we were thankful for the meeting, we were overwhelmed with the amount of support that we received via the GroupMe that we created and the Instagram page, and we felt that there were many people with many opinions. By having a protest, we were able to open that door of communication between students and administration in a safe, peaceful, and respectful way.”
Andrew Cohen, Rylee Plourde, and other leaders of the movement encouraged students to step up to the microphone and speak out about how they were feeling. Several students took the initiative and addressed their peers and faculty members head-on. After being asked to speak by Plourde, I took my place in front of the crowd. I opened up my oration by explaining how proud I am of the students here on campus for stepping up to the plate and using their voice, especially in a moment where they have a lot to lose.
Most, if not all, the seniors who attended the protest were there to push for their voices to not only be listened to but to be heard. In fact, that’s why we were all there. The Class of 2021 is putting everything they have into the hopes of steering the administration in a direction that reconsiders the decision on graduation.
While I can’t remember every sentence I spoke at Monday’s rally, I distinctly remember saying that our presence was not meant to belittle or attack the administration’s decisions, but for them to understand that we feel these decisions have been made in the best interest of the institution and not of the students.
That statement was followed by “yes’s” and nodding heads, solidifying to the executives present that this was a general sentiment.
Western New England University prides itself on the notion of being a “Golden Bear family,” yet we have severely fallen short in the reception of our so-called “family members’” feelings. Students are encouraged to use their voice, but the people in power need to be willing and open-minded to the statements being spoken. This is imperative in any situation on campus because it’s the students that make the school, not the school that makes the students.
It’s important to add that although administration members were present at the protest, and were encouraged to speak with the students present, close to none did. Dean Bogle and two or three other faculty members approached students and struck up a conversation, while the rest of those who showed up talked amongst their colleagues or returned to their offices.
It’s understandable that some individuals may not have been able to attend the full duration of the rally because they had pressing issues to tend to, but in the same breath, this was a moment for administration members to show they care instead of just saying they do. And unfortunately, not many of them took the opportunity that was being handed to them.
In the end, Plourde adds that now the meetings and protests are over, their goals were for the administration to “truly hear us and see us as the strong and powerful students that we are. While we understand that we do not have all the information about COVID, we hope that after our meeting the administration is able to safely make changes such as classroom accommodations and dashboard updates, as that’s what students requested.”
The upper administration at the University have a lot on their plate right now, and while they may be unable to change their decision involving graduation, all those involved in Monday’s demonstration hope their efforts have helped admins better understand where the student body is at.
