Staff Editorial |Successful All College Day Mural requires respectful dialogue

For the past six years, the All College Day Mural has provided an open forum for the Vassar community to post opinions on any issue. The theme of All College Day 2007 is “Building Community at Vassar: What’s Next?” and the mural should serve as a space to discuss ways in which to strengthen our community. When the mural project begins on Wednesday, Feb. 21, we encourage students, faculty, staff, and administration to respectfully use the space for productive discussion.

In past years, however, we have all seen how the mural’s best intentions can go sour. Last year’s mural was taken down early because of the extent of personal and slanderous attacks towards specific administrators and students. The Office of Campus Life rightly took down the mural weeks ahead of schedule to stop a bad situation from escalating.

To prevent a similar situation from happening again, larger posters with the mural’s guidelines will be posted alongside this year’s mural. The mural will also be displayed for a considerably shorter time period than in previous years and participants will have from Feb. 21–26 to write comments or thoughts. Associate Dean of the College Ed Pittman said the shortened display period will best address people’s comments in the context of the current environment. The All College Mural ought to be something that the College can proudly display as a tangible example of the kind of dialogue that goes on at Vassar. Unfortunately, this was not possible last year because of the recklessness which tainted the spirit of the mural and the atmosphere surrounding the annual event.

As always, no participant is required to sign his or her name to his or her contribution. But as last year’s problems have shown, while anonymity provides a chance for a more honest dialogue, it also empowers some to engage in disrespectful behavior, such as name-calling or scratching out other people’s posts. Although anonymity may make people more inclined to write frankly, The Miscellany News urges students to sign their names to the comments they pen, and to stand behind their convictions by making themselves accountable for what they write.

Pittman said, “[The number of problematic posts] does not have to be overwhelming—just one comment or expression aimed at hurting a group or individual can damage the whole mural.” He also said that the College does not intend to leave the mural up if people use it for hurtful statements. We would agree with Pittman’s assessment and hope that students take the spirit of the mural—a chance for open dialogue in a public space—to heart.

The College operates on the assumption that students are thoughtful adults, and as such, no one will be peering over a participant’s shoulder to measure whether a comment is appropriate. For this year’s All College Day, we encourage participants to spark meaningful dialogue that challenges our ideas and comfort levels, but to do so respectfully so that the mural can serve its intended purpose. All College Day should be a day that sets forth discussion, not a day the community would rather forget because of the irresponsible personal attacks scrawled on a wall.

In addition to this year’s roster of events, Campus Life will host an All College Day Conversation Dinner on Feb. 28, after the mural finishes its run on Feb. 26. Pittman said the dinner will focus on the comments made on the mural and will include discussion about the mural as a medium for community exchange, rather than confrontation. This is a proactive step from the Office of Campus Life to avoid presenting the mural and what is written on it as isolated from the rest of the school year. While the mural will still provide a chance for anonymous or signed response to the College community, the dinner will present students and others with a chance to give a directly express their thoughts and debate their concerns with others. It is through these face-to-face discussions that the community can begin to address “what’s next” for the College community.

The Staff Editorial represents at least a two-thirds majority of the 20-member Editorial Board.