I recently heard that Georgetown was planning on combining three campus centers: the Women’s Center, the LGBTQ center, and the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access.
I have many close friends intimately involved in each of the three centers, who have taught me about each of their functions. Everyone on campus needs a place to call home, and for many people around campus, these centers have served that role. The identities of some of my fellow Hoyas are being unjustly grouped together for purposes of increasing the scope of administrative power, something I feel Georgetown too often does at the expense of its students.
Everyone at Georgetown needs a place to fit in, where they can feel comfortable being themselves. Finding your own personal niche on campus that helps to bolster your sense of identity is one of the most important things a person can do in their four years on campus. For me, I found that niche in my first weeks of freshman year with the clubs I joined and friends I made.
I noticed, however, that others struggled to find a place to fit in. Maybe they weren’t given to sports, the arts, or even politics. It was these people who often found comfort in groups not necessarily based on common interest but on a common sense of identity.
The CMEA, LGBTQ center, and Women’s Center are all essential elements of many students’ identities at Georgetown. Although somewhat dubious their functions, they provide services to their members and provide an array of opinions on issues that enhance debate amongst students.
Members of these centers have come to know their groups in special ways. To me, consolidating and altering the structure of these groups does students no benefit and only further entrenches the commonly felt sentiment that the University prioritizes administrative progress over student well-being.
I first heard about this issue from a friend, trying to build support against the issue. Initially, I disagreed because I was critical of the function of some of these three groups. Although I don’t agree with these groups on many issues, I recognize their right to not be forced into consolidation by the University. I had no inclination to become involved on the behalf of these groups, until I realized that organizations I am in could theoretically fall victim to administrative consolidation next. I am a member of many different organizations throughout campus, including College Republicans and the Real Estate Club. These organizations have helped shape my experience at Georgetown and created my sense of place on this campus.
For a university that prides itself on freedom of expression and opinion, this proposition is far from an embrace of the Jesuit values that define this institution as a place where people can express themselves and their beliefs.
Every group on campus contributes to and enriches the campus’ diversity in its own way. I think it is important for groups to be able to clearly define themselves and operate autonomously in order to best serve their members. If this initiative progresses, the University will undoubtedly receive backlash from all students around campus who feel that greater freedom for student groups is paramount for groups to serve their members.
It is important that the administration keep in mind that centers, which have very specialized functions and dedicated visitors, may need to maintain their autonomy in order to maintain optimal well-being and happiness on campus. When the interests of students are compromised for the convenience of the administration, the university is hurt both internally and externally, bringing about both individual problems and public unrest.
For the sake of the student body, and the Georgetown community in its entirety, I hope the concept of combining these centers is put to rest without hesitance.
