Watchful eyes from all over searched their emails or their feeds for a chance to watch Monday’s inaugural “Conversation with Conner”, where President Conner aimed to devote time to speak with the community. Many of the Skidmore student body, previously indifferent, may have found recent interest in President Conner’s address due to the troubling events of Halloweekend. A normal conversation was now seemingly colored by the effects of the outside world.
However, this event, this conversation, and this academic year have always been influenced by things at large. The fears of BIPOC, LGBTIQA+, women, and international and low-income students did not originate from a single weekend.
Still, what happened on Saturday took precedence. President Conner began the event by addressing his frustration and disappointment with the large gatherings and assault that happened that night. After repeatedly praising Skidmore’s student body for our safe conduct this semester, the worst had happened. Despite all that, President Conner continued to communicate optimism. He was confident in our ability to continue making, what he called, “heroic choices” to keep the campus COVID-free and safe.
Safe. Safety. The powerful implications of that concept hang in the air despite the president’s attempt at consolation. For many, the hazards of this semester’s Halloweekend represent the dangers of the larger world. Thus, it did not take long, nor was it very difficult, for President Conner’s address to transition into that realm.
President Conner first took it upon himself to establish and prove himself as a body of safety. He narrated his consistent efforts for campus diversity and community. He told of his genuine interest in joining Skidmore. He listed his methods trying “every means possible to meet you and get to know you [the students]”. And, he said all the right things, proclaiming “Black Lives Matter”, stressing the importance of conversation, and championing free speech.
Yet, however certain President Conner was, his audience was deeply divided. The conflicts between meaning and implication, claims and followthrough, truth and hyperbole, and hope and bleakness, were very real forces discomforting Skidmore’s at-risk populations. President Conner called the response to the weekend’s bias incident swift, yet many students deem it insufficient. President Conner lauds the comprehensive efforts of the racial justice initiative, yet diverse student leadership is limited to 15 minutes of time with him. President Conner wants to keep students safe, especially students of color, yet completely trusts the judgment of law enforcement. President Conner disapproves of mandatory racial training and trusts in an innate Skidmore ability for conversation, yet he has not seen the segregated tables of our dining hall. And the event was advertised as a conversation, yet President Conner did all the talking.
The uncertainty that clouded President Conner’s address represents our current time. Fittingly, even the interpretation of this uncertainty is divergent. President Conner understands it as “tough” but room for great conversation. However, some see uncertainty as danger. As the college braces for the fallout of a close Presidential Election in a town very willing to display its own biases, passive celebration of tension is not enough--not enough for many on-campus students. And it is these students that President Conner aims to know and support. That’s why he took the initiative to create this event, why he advertises his office hours, and why he walks his dog around campus with his wife. Withal, the call is not for the president to stop but to do more. A president that listens is appreciated, but action is more powerful at this time.
His collegiate civility is not quite appropriate as peaceable processes have been proven to stutter and stall, and sometimes people still don’t “get it” when given some time. Despite his experience as a pioneer in his past positions, President Conner is dealing with students who have heard what he has said before. In order to make Skidmore “all that it claims to be”, it's necessary to make extra time for student leaders. It’s okay to respect their words as the elected representatives that they are. It’s okay to stray from bothsidesism and delineate right and wrong. It’s okay to implement things that everyone won’t like.
Still many of Skidmore’s students, including myself, look forward to the next installment of this event. President Conner did accomplish his goal. He got to know us, and know our motivation, our grievances, and the extent of our critical eye. One thing we may agree upon is that it is what we need--for the encouragement, frustration, and good work that it inspires.
In response to safety concerns, Skidmore’s Asian Cultural Awareness (@skidmore_aca on Instagram), Pass The Mic (@passthemicskid) and the International Student Union (@isu_skidmore) have created lists of resources for student use. The links to these resources are provided below:
Faculty Resources for BIPOC Students: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J3B8bbVY_E6cZFDeWwr0idXuFFfMW7__UKDNXuK7l8E/htmlview
BIPOC Student Support Sign-up Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IUJlvXP9cY9u1ZL1QgK8roV6kU7vTD_o8LFZ9rolkJs/htmlview
Public Staff Support List:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13l-utAFWBGXLhg-q9IrJF4EpleGIfXk5_IJcbRbHZ4I/htmlview
A recording of the event is available on the Skidmore News Instagram (@skidmorenews) in the IGTV section.