Skidmore students take a stand
Last month, hundreds of Skidmore students came together to celebrate the fifth iteration of the 鈥淚 Won鈥檛 Stand For鈥� initiative. The event was designed to allow individuals to take a personal stance on issues they care about and to encourage their peers across campus to do the same.
By making and wearing T-shirts that clearly display the things they 鈥渨on鈥檛 stand for,鈥� students start a conversation about issues both on campus and on a more global scale. The result is a widespread sense of community involvement and activism.
Anna Morreale, a res-life area coordinator, has been deeply involved in the event since its inception. 鈥淲hen I started working here, I realized we had a lot of great clubs that helped in different areas,鈥� Morreale stated, 鈥渂ut I wanted something that kind of brought everyone together under one thing.鈥�
Using the USA Network鈥檚 鈥淐haracters Unite鈥� initiative as a template, res life launched the 鈥淚 Won鈥檛 Stand For鈥� event in 2013 and met immediate success鈥斺�渨e gave out all 300 T-shirts that year,鈥� Morreale recalled. 鈥淎nd now we鈥檙e in year five.鈥�
This year, students crowded into the atrium of the dining hall to craft their shirts, eager to put their values on display. Here鈥檚 how some students took their stands:
Rachel Golden 鈥�18 won鈥檛 stand for bisexual erasure.
Biba Contin 鈥�19 is ready to dismantle heteronormativity.
Nhlakanipho Khumalo 鈥�20 takes a stand against homophobia.
Jasper Ballot 鈥�20 stands proudly against police brutality.
Aminata Barry 鈥�17 won鈥檛 put up with disrespect.
Mat Marino 鈥�20 takes on fragile masculinity, while Nick Fronte 鈥�18 shows off his stance against Italian stereotyping.
Andrew Fyffe 鈥�20 shoots down rape culture.
Annabelle Vaes 鈥�18 won鈥檛 stand for fragile masculinity.
Ally Lamb 鈥�20, Lindsey Shinn 鈥�20, and Katie Maffett 鈥�20 take a stand against intolerance, ignorance, and closed-mindedness.
Jessica Ndrianasy 鈥�20 won鈥檛 stand for silence.
Nathan Canada 鈥�17 shows off his fervent stance against transphobia
Shankar Mani 鈥�18 stands up against global warming.
The staggering reception that this event garners every year proves that Skidmore, as a campus, thrives on its students鈥� willingness to be vocal about pertinent issues. What won鈥檛 you stand for?
Brian Allan '17 is the 2016 - 2017 student blogger in the office of Communications and Marketing. A double major in English and Spanish with a minor in meida and film studies, he has provided a unique student insight to life at Skidmore.