"So, if you’re mad, get mad, don’t hold it all inside, come on and talk to me now." So sang the Virginia Belles at the opening of UVA’s first Day of Dialogue last Friday.
The main questions discussed included “Am I my sister’s/brother’s keeper?” and “Are we a caring community?” Fifteen hundred preregistered students, faculty and other members of the university community gathered to discuss these questions and many more in the hope of starting a running dialogue about safety concerns in our community. Third-year student Karin Elwood told C-VILLE she felt drawn to the Day of Dialogue because, in order for the event to be effective, students needed to participate.
Student involvement proved to be at the heart of the day—particularly the new “Let’s Get Grounded” organization, led by students Will Bane and Danielle MacGregor. Bane and MacGregor met in June with a group of about 35 students to discuss the issue of UVA as a caring and safe community, and covered topics from violence and alcohol abuse to racist and homophobic comments. Since the start of the current semester, Let’s Get Grounded has offered training on how to react appropriately to questionable events. The group has trained 300 students so far, though they hope to raise that number to 3,000 by the end of the year and include faculty in their training efforts.
As President Sullivan addressed the assembly in Old Cabell Hall, she revisited questions raised after fourth-year student Yeardley Love’s death. She also said this day is about much more than Yeardley Love: Seven UVA students died last year, and many victims of abuse or hate continue to suffer, some in silence and isolation.