“A potent symbol of a D.C. that no longer exists,” writes a Washington Post article on Marion Barry’s visionary leadership for what was then a racially and socioeconomically integrated city. On Nov. 23, when the former mayor passed away, national news outlets appeared to have forgotten his troubled history. While Barry was arrested in 1990 for his use of crack cocaine and was sued in 2000 for exposing himself to a female employee at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Barry’s obituaries have spun his deeds into a tale of redemption and resurrection.
The way news outlets are remembering Barry underscores how people’s enthusiasm for and scrutiny of authority figures and institutions seem to increasingly depend primarily on which hashtags and topics are trending. As the news cycle rapidly moves onto the next crisis, so does its critical attention of these authority figures and institutions, which get to shirk responsibility for their actions as they move out of the public limelight.
Students on this campus, too, suffer from the conveniently short memory of the news cycle. Most recently, on Nov. 13, allegations of workplace and institutional abuse towards Resident Assistants brought forth against the university by current and former RAs published in the Voice online exclusive #YesAllRAs generated public outrage and national media attention. The feature generated enough attention to warrant a response from Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson the following day, during which he promised to review the anonymous accounts provided to the Voice and to solicit outreach to RAs about their concerns.
Three weeks later, following a GUSA resolution, numerous conciliatory emails sent to RAs, and a petition of demands sent to the university on Dec. 2 from the RAs themselves, the administration has yet to publicly announce new policies to redefine the role of RAs and the mechanisms in place to support them when they experience work-related trauma. The university still seems to be on permanent reflection mode, concentrated on discussions and investigations instead of enacting immediate, substantive changes.
As the fall semester winds down, students descend into the grind of final examinations. In the spring, campus media will inevitably move onto basketball season, snow days, or whatever exciting developments this Hilltop has in store. #YesAllRAs will no longer be trending in the news cycle, which—if the university maintains its radio silence—will, without students applying persistent pressure, give administrators leeway to procrastinate on moving beyond dialogue and enacting sorely needed reforms.
If Olson is genuinely serious about enacting change and students are genuinely outraged by the injustices suffered by Resident Assistants, the university must continue to commit to its promises even after the media spotlight moves away. Students, on the other hand, cannot only express their anger while they are trending hashtags, but must continue to push the university administration until they satisfactorily address their concerns. As the Office of Residential Living begins to recruit RAs for the next academic year, students cannot let the university get away with its unbelievable treatment towards its most important and underappreciated employees. Continued, vigilant actions from concerned students are irreplaceable impetuses that will create concrete change on campus.
