By: Taylor Fulkerson ~Managing Editor~
After the quick rise of the use of the app Yik Yak on Xavier’s campus, the Student Government Association (SGA) will be unveiling an initiative long in the works. The “Live the Commitment” campaign will be a collaboration between SGA and several offices on campus, including the Office of Student Integrity, McGrath Health and Wellness, Title IX, Xavier police and others.
The campaign will commence after fall break.
According to SGA President Colleen Reynolds, it will give students the chance to commit to one of four focus areas. “‘Live the Commitment’ will encourage students to commit themselves to a particular issue facing our campus this academic year. As the student commitment states that we act with integrity, justice and generosity, our hope is to do just that — to act and encourage our peers to do the same,” she said.
Students will be able to receive training for specific issues and familiarize themselves with the services available on campus to aid in making the Xavier campus safer. Sexual assault prevention, suicide prevention, anti-cyber bullying and trainings for active shooters and emergency situations will be offered to students who choose to sign the commitment.
The SGA initiative will be a more action-focused call to students to live the Student Commitment that was featured at the end of last academic year and during the commencement ceremony.
“Our student body created The Student Commitment last year and in the commitment it’s stated that Xavier students ‘act with integrity, justice and generosity.’ It is very unfortunate that many members of our community would have a hard time recognizing those values in what they see their classmates saying online,” Director of Student Integrity Jean Griffin said in an email.
The SGA initiative will be a more action-focused call to students to live the Student Commitment that was featured at the end of last academic year and during the commencement ceremony.
The campaign comes on the heels of problems experienced by students with Yik Yak, an app likened to an anonymous version of Twitter, and Fade, with allows for name-free picture sharing in the style of Instagram.
“As a community that commits to acting with integrity, we ought to respect one another and not abuse apps like Yik Yak and Fade to hide behind our words,” Reynolds said. “To address this in the short term, we are not asking students to stop using apps like Yik Yak and Fade altogether, but rather to use them appropriately and encourage others to do the same.”
The push with anti-cyberbullying on campus will be oriented towards creating a positive student culture instead of banning specific apps.
