Recently on Trinity’s campus, we have seen an emergence of a new group, the Action Coalition of Trinity. You might have noticed their presence after they plastered almost every building on campus with a list of Demands for the Trinity College Administration, with their #IsTrinWithUs at the bottom of the page. I have to admit first and foremost it is so exciting to see that there are students on this campus who care about a cause, actually many causes. The “Demands list” consists of 14 different demands covering inequality in race, gender, socioeconomic status, undocumented students, and international students. It’s a very comprehensive list that states everything that ACT wants to change on the Trinity campus. Some of those specific demands being gender neutral bathrooms, scholarships for J-Term, and making an administration with 50% people of color.

I have to say that I absolutely love that these students have come together and created a vision of what they want Trinity to be. And I believe that most people on campus truly do want Trinity to be an accepting place that caters to the needs of every minority group, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. In fact, the Trinity Administration has already started implementing certain changes. All of these changes are to lead this liberal arts school to become more diverse and inclusive place. Some of these include hiring a full-time staff member in the Queer Resource Center, admitting the most diverse freshman class ever (Class of 2020), and in 2014, the hiring of Angel Pérez, the Vice President of Enrollment and Student Success. These changes prove that Trinity really IS with the ACT.

But here’s the truth of the matter, all of these changes are not feasible. ACT has failed to account for the fact that laying off quality staff members just to reach a 50% people of color quota or funding more scholarships are not possible right now. Take these two specific issues. One has to take into consideration that there significantly fewer people of color pursuing master’s and PhDs than their white counterparts, and along the same line, to replace qualified staff just to fulfill a quota is illegal. Another demand ACT has is providing more scholarships. But they have demanded this without taking into account that 90% of the funding Trinity receives is from alumni, many of whom are still pushing for a more conservative campus community. The Trinity Administration has to find a balance between alumni and the students happy, even though these two groups are pushing for very different agendas.

The reason why I point out these two issues is because it illuminates the fact that the ACT has not taken into account all of the factors of higher education that makes change so hard. Each one of their demands would take time, energy, and sometimes significant funds to create, and it is not possible to make these alterations all at once. Then we come to the most serious mistake the Action Coalition of Trinity has made. The WAY they are conveying their message.

Without warning ACT appeared on campus, trying to make a point. They are trying to create change, but they are going about it all wrong. They posted demands all over campus. Demands. Which immediately sets a strange tone for the students and the faculty. Children make demands without consideration for the other side’s point of view, while adults promote discussion about issues that they would like to change. This one-sided point of view has trickled into the one-on-one students are having with ACT members. Instead of having constructive discussions, they are ending most frequently with members of ACT ignoring other viewpoints and frequently yelling until the other side gives up. Most prevalently they turned on a Tripod writer for stating an opinion quite similar to the one I’m writing about in this article. With his name written on signs and a part of their protest as though he was the enemy. This kind of focused attack was also assigned to Chaplain Reed when she “interrupted” their silent protest to try and convey similar points, with one of their members posting on the ACT Facebook wall that Chaplain Reed was trying to “silence them further” and should apologize for her actions.

Chaplain Reed is one of the kindest, most inclusive human beings on this campus, and to accuse her of being against a cause that promotes inclusivity is absurd. She, just like the Tripod writer and myself, are all trying to convey the same point. We are on your side and support many of the ideas that you have regarding Trinity’s movement towards a more diverse and inclusive campus. What we do not support is the way these messages are being conveyed.

ACT is employing methods of agitation, verbally reprimanding individuals, and discouraging conversation with the student body. They are alienating the people that support their issues by the aggressive tactics they are using to convey their messages. And even though the ACT has taken steps to meet with the president to start moving some positive changes forward, they remain stubborn to listen to other people’s ideas and opinions. The fact that a single writer is receiving backlash for suggesting different tactics for change is not the appropriate response.

Despite what the ACT and its members seem to believe, we are all fighting for the same thing. A Trinity that everyone can come to where they feel safe, included, and happy. But these methods of demanding change without conversation stifles the very idea they are trying to promote. They have forgotten that how you speak tells more than the words you say. And the way people remember a conversation will either keep their movement going or it will stop it in its tracks. Right now ACT has slowed their cause’s momentum by making people who would have supported them frustrated, instead of inspiring people’s passion for their mission.

I challenge ACT to start a conversation with the student body and faculty to promote a more inclusive campus in a gentler way. Be persistent and fight for what you believe in, but do not make enemies of your allies, because it will only make the end goal harder to achieve.

“People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou