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Planned Protest at Plenary Seeks to Prevent Quorum

On Sunday, October 8, there will be a protest of the Social Code by various affinity groups under the united moniker #AllStrugglesOneCode. The intentionally amorphous group aims to block quorum by sitting outside of the GIAC, or not showing up at all. The group sent out a document that outlined the reasons for this protest, and listed their demands.

“There were a couple of us in a room, and we were talking about why the Social Code doesn’t work, and we were just talking about our own identities,” said Sebastian Dilones ‘18, one of the key organizers of the protest. “People like me, people like Sam [Danish] ‘20, who are tired of living in this echo chamber, tired of doing this work. We realized it’s because the Social Code is really vague and gives everyone a false sense of confidence or comfort just because they abide by this Honor Code that just asks you to follow the golden rule… their lack of engagement or care for them [marginalized students] leads to situations where people don’t feel heard.”

The group’s list of demands include increased discussion of the social honor code, more resources for support organizations for marginalized students, increased attendance and awareness for affinity groups, and more cooperation and attention from both student’s council and the administration. However, protesters also want to increase consciousness on campus for these issues.

“This isn’t a protest of Student Council or Honor Council because they’re doing fine and it feels like they’re trying. This is a protest on campus culture in general, to tell people to ‘wake up,’ they’re asleep to their fellow students oppressions,” said Dilones. “The envision is that this is something people can look on as a tool for future generations to take the reigns, that if they feel any kind of marginalization…that they can take the reigns to be both disruptive and productive.”

Student Council co-Presidents Julia Blake and Saumya Varma met with some of the organizers before the planned protest. In a joint statement, they shared with the Clerk said, “Plenary is a unique event that allows us to come together as students to decide on important changes in the Haverford community. We are grateful for this opportunity and hope there is meaningful discussion between as many diverse voices as possible.”

Some students though have conveyed their discomfort with the protest. An HCO, who asked to remain anonymous shared their concern with the Clerk for their first-years, and their first plenary, “I’ve known it’s happening, but I’m trying to figure out what it is, and what it will look like.”

Said Dilones, “Our goals will be met regardless of the outcome. This is just a warning shot, a visibility flair. In reality, these things are going to be met, because these are serious issues. We are striving for success and we will attain it regardless.”

More information about the protest can be found here.

 

This article was updated on 10/8/17 to add a pre-released statement by Student Council co-Presidents. 

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