A hectic college campus. An Involvement Fair just outside. An hour of calm in the Carnegie Room.
About 30 faculty, staff and students gathered for this year’s first All College Meeting for Worship and Reflection on Sept. 7 to hear Guilford College President Jane Fernandes speak about unity within the community.
The College has been working on increasing awareness around campus through events such as the Dialogues on Diversity and Inclusion.
Fernandes spoke about the goals of The College this year and why it is important to continue developing a school-wide identity.
“We need not just a safe space but a new kind of space that I learned about from Stephanie Chang, which is a brave space,” said Fernandes.
“How can we, as the Guilford College community, have the courage to be the brave space that we need to be for our students?”
Stephanie Chang, director of Multicultural Education, sent Fernandes an article called “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces” by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens about the topic of brave spaces.
Brave spaces, according to Arao and Clemens, serve as way to discuss social justice and change throughout a community. The theory is that one must understand and respect other perspectives, even when they cause discomfort.
Fernandes referenced a need for the evolution of Guilford’s sense of community. This comes amidst discussion among Guilfordians about equality, particularly after last semester’s protests and list of demands regarding racism and tensions on campus.
“I hope that people who came think on how Guilford College can be the inclusive community we want it to be,” said Fernandes.
“We are a strong community, but we have some who feel we are not. How then can we be a stronger community?”
The event drew primarily faculty and staff with few students present. There were other events going on at the same time, including the annual student involvement fair, which may account for the small group.
Frank Massey, the campus ministry coordinator, felt Fernandes had a valuable message for those who attended.
“We needed to hear that message about community,” said Massey. “We’re here together, but are we a community?
“We need to recognize that everyone has a light. … How do we let our light shine as individuals as well as a whole college?”
Emma Graham, a Friends Center intern, felt that the message was important for the College to hear directly from Fernandes.
“The message that Jane brought to the meeting just confirms her commitment to Guilford,” said Graham. “I think she’s really able to embody and embrace the different types of experiences that people are going through.”
Graham also felt that the message’s emphasis on brave spaces and community was valuable.
“The message showed us that we need to address the issues that make people uncomfortable,” said Graham. “We can’t just ignore them. We need to embrace them and acknowledge that everyone in this community is coming from a different background, and that embracing our differences will only make us stronger.”
Fernandes ended her address with an anecdote about spreading one’s inner light and set a main goal for Guilford’s community.
“Guilford as a whole is not the safe space we would hope it to be,” Fernandes said. “We must be quite intentional about doing what is necessary to make Guilford a safe and brave space. One of our goals is for a community where every person can say, ‘I feel safe here. I feel respected. I feel included.’”
There will be more All College Meetings for Worship and Reflection announced throughout the semester.
