The week of April 23 to the 27 was Tolerance Week at the University of New Haven. The Tolerance Committee, which is a part of the
American Criminal Justice Association Psi Omega chapter, put on daily events for students and faculty.
On Monday, the Committee hosted a showing of the movie Mean Girls in Echlin 9. The movie was for Social Status day and was followed by a discussion about social inequality, cliques, and how experiences in high school differ from experiences in college.
On Tuesday, representatives sat in the Bartels Programming Space and distributed index cards for Post Secrets. Post Secret is a campaign that began on the internet to provide an outlet for anyone to tell secrets to the world, completely anonymously. UNH students wrote down whatever they wanted to get off their chests, and the cards were posted on the glass door to Bartels.
Tuesday was also Holocaust Day. A showing of the movie Schindler’s List took place in Echlin Hall, co-sponsored by the Honors College. After the movie, students in attendance had the privilege of hearing Associate Provost Ira Kleinfeld speak about his family’s experiences in the Nazi Holocaust. He also spoke of the discrimination that had taken place against other groups in the years since, and the dangers of such events continuing around the world.
Unfortunately, the event for Wednesday had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. The event planned was “Put Yourself on the Line,” which was to be co-sponsored by the Lambda Psi Delta Sorority. The purpose of this event was to be an icebreaker to show students that they are not alone in whatever hardships they may be facing.
Thursday was Bullying Day. Lambda Psi Delta co-sponsored the events in the Bartels Programming Space, which included another opportunity for Post Secrets. Also, students were able to take NOH8 photos. The NOH8 campaign is a “photographic silent protest” which began after the passage of Proposition 8 in California. The mission of the campaign is to raise awareness about issues pertaining to many voices being suppressed by Prop 8, and is supported by a large number of celebrities. NOH8 pictures are generally taken with the person placing a piece of duct tape over his or her mouth to symbolize forced silence, with “NOH8” written on the person’s cheek. At UNH, duct tape wasn’t used: bandanas that said “NOH8” were distributed and students took pictures with the bandanas tied around their mouths. UNH President Kaplan even stopped by to support the cause and take a picture.
Friday was the last day of Tolerance Week, and it was co-sponsored by UNH Pride and Lambda Psi Delta. At a table in Bartels, students could once again able to do Post Secrets or take NOH8 photos. Friday was LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) day, and students made rainbow bracelets. Also fortune cookies were distributed for the “Cookies and a Compliment” program.
All events held throughout the week were free to students and faculty. The UNH Tolerance Committee and their co-sponsors would like to thank everyone for their support.
