UI students join together to prompt social, political discussion
The clouds were dark and the air was heavy with rain on the Wednesday of midterms week, but this did not deter a band of passionate students from speaking out and raising awareness about a variety of contemporary social issues within the state of Idaho.
Ashley Centers | Courtesy
Gender and Sexuality Alliance co-chairs Samantha Hansen (left) and Kyle Zeller (top) gather with UI students Cynthia Ballesteros, Jessy Forsmo-Shadid and Rachel Main for a students’ rights rally March 11.
The Show Up, Act Up! rally, hosted by the University of Idaho Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) March 11, served as a precursor to a social speak out GSA will put on Thursday, April 2.
Kyle Zeller, co-chair of the GSA, said the purpose of the rally was to reach out to students to help them start discussions about important social and political problems.
Zeller said the rally, and the events to follow it, are crucial because he strongly believes there are a number of social problems being ignored within Idaho.
“I’m afraid that as a state, we aren’t questioning our ways,” Zeller said. “It’s easy to assume that the members of our legislation always know what’s best, and that’s unnerving to me.”
The event, which started at the Free Speech Zone outside the UI library and was later moved into the Clearwater room in the Idaho Commons due to the rain, began at noon and stretched on late into the evening.
The rally operated under the #notmyIdaho and students were encouraged to share the elements of social change they would like to see reflected in the state’s legislature.
“A state that doesn’t care about education, that’s not my Idaho,” Zeller said. “Idaho has been consistently ranked as one of the worst states when it comes to the quality of our education, and that’s not okay.”
In addition to questioning the quality of the state’s education, the rally also featured social issues such as racism, gender equality, class stratification and queer rights.
Members of the group and supporters spent the day explaining the purpose and importance of the rally, answering questions about social issues and encouraging other students to share their opinions.
Chalk, posters and markers were supplied so students could make signs expressing their opinions or write about topics that hadn’t been included by event organizers.
Zeller said the rally showed him that other students share the same concerns he has.
“This rally is meant to show that as a state, we don’t have to blindly accept what our law makers are putting down,” Zeller said. “Our opinions carry a lot of weight and the first step in making our voices heard is beginning a conversation.”
He said there are a number of social issues they hope to prompt discussion about and the rally served as an opportunity to evaluate the issues students are most concerned about.
“We have a lot to be passionate about,” Zeller said. “We want to hear from people who are passionate about these issues, regardless of the stance they take, and we want to raise awareness among those who don’t know much about what’s going on.”
Kory Scyphers, UI physics major and GSA member, said while the rally aimed to target controversial social issues, including recent incidents of sexism and racism in the state, the most important element of the event was the encouragement of free speech and promoting acceptance of individual opinions.
“I want this rally and all of our other events to be about reaching out to people,” Scyphers said. “This rally is about a lot of different things. There’s no one argument we’re trying to make. We’re just trying to get people talking so the event becomes what people bring to it.”
Scyphers said although starting a conversation may not seem like a big deal, it is if it helps initiate change.
“Sometimes people want to start a revolution and see change happen immediately, but the truth is nothing can be done without first talking about it,” Scyphers said. “If we all stay silent, then we cannot hope for change.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]