A USD 4 Everyone

So, we made the news some up on the hill this week. USD's PRIDE organization held the first drag show in school history. There was much discussion, debate, discourse, support, and protest for this event... But, that's a different post for a different week. From this event, a movement called AUSD4Everyone emerged. www.facebook.com/AUSD4Everyone


Stop and think about this for a moment... AUSD4Everyone. Everyone? What does this mean for us in Greek Life? Over the past semester, I have written about the need for a sense of connection, a sense of belonging, the need to recognize the privilege and power we have to create a community that is a place for everyone. This movement is about far more than a drag show. It is about being people that can love and accept each other - even when we disagree. It is about living out true brotherhood and sisterhood. The kind of relationships that say, "Come as you are... No pretense needed."


I believe this sentiment. I work hard to live this sentiment. I encourage others to be open to others. So why is it sometimes so easy to live a life that is more AUSD4EveryoneLikeMe? I was on Twitter the other day and saw several postings from a person in one of the trends I follow. When I clicked on the information profile, here is what came up as their bio: "USD is my life, I may be a bitch but thats only because I can be."


Several things immediately came to mind that I wanted to direct message this person... "Hi, you are not a nice person." or "Hello, you are toxic. Please stop." or "Greetings, USD does not need your kind of attitude." I know, I know... AUSD4Everyone, right? Right! Not just people who think like me, act like me, believe like me. The differences are what makes us beautiful. The differences are what make us stronger. I don't like that this person puts a message out there that she basically doesn't care how she treats people/is perceived. But, that's her place to live that way. I don't have to be her friend, and I don't have to agree. But, if I truly believe in AUSD4Everyone, don't I have to let her be? She may not like that I am a Christian that believes in caring for others as a primary value. USD, our place that we call home, is not just for those that think like us. It is a place of learning, a place of discourse, a place of growth. When we disagree, it does not always mean that one is right and the other is wrong. Stop. Consider that one further... When we disagree, it does not always mean that one is right and the other is wrong.


So, while you may or may not agree with the decisions made around USD's drag show, can we all agree that USD, our community, should be a place for everyone?


It is what I work for. Every single day.