Author: Daphne Auza
Silent Solidarity, a program designed to help students understand the experience of marginalized social groups, will be offered to Occidental students for the first time on Mar. 28. Participants in the program take on an assigned identity and refrain from all forms of communication, including social media and texting, from 9 a.m. until a debriefing session at 5 p.m. in Pauley Hall.
The Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS) office will provide T-shirts and labels for students to wear as a means of communicating their involvement in the program to peers and faculty. Participants will also receive cards that they can hand out to those inquiring about their silence.
Identities assigned to students will come from a mix of around 90 different marginalized social groups. These identities include people who are HIV positive, war veterans and homosexual Christians, according to Assistant Director for First Year Experience and organizer of Silent Solidarity Meredith Mickaliger. Packets given to participants may include personal stories, letters or even available resources for those struggling with these identities.
“The idea is to push your comfort zone and learn something new,” Mickaliger said.
Mickaliger presented Silent Solidarity to REHS in hopes of organizing a program that would compliment Tunnel of Oppression, an interactive tour where volunteer guides lead guests through scenarios representing oppressive behaviors and experiences. Like Tunnel of Oppression, Silent Solidarity aims to provoke dialogue about relevant social issues but does not require students to attend an event at a specific time and place.
“Tunnel is a four-hour block where if you can make it, you make it, and if not, you don’t,” Mickaliger said. “For this [Silent Solidarity], even if you have a very busy day, or you’re off campus, on campus, in class or working, you can still participate on your own.”
Mickaliger first introduced Silent Solidarity to Loyola Marymount University, where she worked for four years. After noting the program’s success there, she reached out to REHS staff and the staff of the Dean of Students Office in order to bring it to Occidental. A group of Resident Advisers (RAs) volunteered to become members of a student committee that helped review possible identities and worked on outreach to the student body. Kinesiology major Aakash Raghubansh (sophomore), a Pauley Hall RA, explained that the unique structure of Silent Solidarity piqued his interest in the program.
“I have never tried being a part of such a social movement in this format before,” Raghubansh said. “I think it will be a very effective means of relaying awareness and will definitely catch attention.”
There are no consequences for students who must break their silence for academic or job-related reasons. According to Mickaliger, though, Silent Solidarity is ideally an immersion experience meant to parallel the everyday lives of those who are often overlooked by society. She encourages participants to try to stay silent throughout the entire day.
“You’re not going to get in trouble if you talk, it just means you might not have as powerful of an experience,” Mickaliger said. “It’s very much a challenge by choice program.”
The concluding debriefing session will be facilitated by REHS staff and Emmons counselors and will give students the opportunity to discuss the adjustments they had to make while staying silent. If Silent Solidarity results in a successful turnout, REHS will look into continuing the program. Mickaliger hopes that Silent Solidarity will provide an opportunity to explore a greater variety of marginalized identities.
“We recognize that there’s no way that we’ll be able to encompass every identity, but I’m also hoping that if this becomes successful, students who participate and people who learn about it will add to it and make it grow,” Mickaliger said.
The deadline for Silent Solidarity registration is Friday, March 8. Students can join the “Silent Solidarity 2013 – Occidental College” Facebook event if they wish to receive any further updates on the program.
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