Thank you for your interest in the "Not in Our Town" idea that Kate,
Michelle, and I mentioned at the community meeting last night.
 
In case you missed the meeting and for those of you who don't know what
"Not in our Town" is, it has been a theme in a number of cities across the
country which, when confronted by racist, homophic, or sexist hate acts,
pulled together in solidarity to make it clear that the community did not
condone such attrocities.  Usually such an initiative includes posters
and/or buttons that communicate the community's views.  The posters/buttons
serve as a message and deterant to perpetrators as well as a
conversation-starter among community members about what we value.
 
At the end of last night's "Not in Our Town" program in Peabody Hall, a
group of people decided to start this initiative and generated an idea for
a theme.  It looks like it will be something like "No Hate (visually
portrayed with 'Hate' covered by the international sign for 'no') and then
"Silence is Permission -- Speak Loudly."
 
The next step in getting this started is for it to be discussed by the
Institutional Response Team which will meet on Tuesday afternoon.  When the
campaign is refined and endorsed, a number of different organizations,
groups, etc. will be asked to pitch in.  Please start now to talk among the
Scholar Leader community and with any students, faculty, and staff with
whom you come in contact to get their ideas and enthusiasm on the front end
of this initiative.
 
Can you imagine all of Oxford with signs in the windows, buttons on our
shirts, bill-boards, posters, etc. giving the same message -- we don't
accept hate and hate acts as a part of our life together!!!
 
I will keep you posted about progress and hope that a number of you will
help us get some momentum going for this idea.  If you want to take a
leadership role as an individual or a group, please let me know.
 
Thanks,
Denny
 
 
Dennis C. Roberts
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
111 Warfield Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-3435
[log in to unmask]
www.muohio.edu/mlc/