Re: “Fuck safe space” shirts prompt apology, Sept. 11-17
I’m sure you’ve all seen the articles. The “Fuck Safe Space” T-shirts were made, worn, and went viral and were offensive to many people. There are just a few things I would like to point out about this situation, not only as a Fall Orientation Co-ordinator, but also as a journalism student.
An article published Sept. 11 in the Charlatan used the subtitle “Fall Orientation shirt controversy.” According to the editors, this was because of how it was perceived by many people.
While I understand that students who have never participated in Fall Orientation can perceive things differently, I want to clarify once again, the shirts were worn at an off-campus gathering that had nothing to do with Fall Orientation week.
Foremost, I do not agree with the article being subtitled as a “Fall Orientation T-shirt controversy.”
This situation was not during the officially sanctioned Fall Orientation week. While the news article does state this, the subtitle is misleading and taints the name of a week that over 800 volunteers, the Student Experience Office, the Carleton University Students Association, and the Rideau River Residence Association worked tirelessly to put forth for over 2,600 incoming students.
There were many positive aspects to the week that got little to no attention in last week’s paper such as exceeding the Shinerama totals, and how the week welcomed over 2,600 participants with positive results.
Although I understand the concept of news value, having this story subtitled in this way is not an accurate portrayal of this year’s Fall Orientation week.
With two other Fall Orientation co-ordinators, we have been working for eight months to make Join the Conspiracy the best Fall Orientation week we could.
We tried to do this not only for our own year, but for years to come. The volunteers are the students who put the endless energy and effort to help make our vision come alive. Everything went flawlessly during the week itself—what happens after contract cannot be correlated to the hard work that everyone put forth during the week.
One mistake should not undermine all of the credibility that Carleton’s Fall Orientation Program has garnered in recent years.
To illustrate further how exceptional our Fall Orientation program is I’d like to point out that our team leaders were the ones who approached the administration first to collectively write an apology.
I would like everyone to think back on a mistake they once made. Maybe one that hurt more people than you had intended, and had a larger impact than you ever thought. It’s easy to shy away from it and wish that it would all get better on its own. I remember seeing comments on the articles asking “Where’s the apology? They all got a chance to apologize but haven’t even taken it yet.” When it had all happened less than 24 hours ago.
Instead of hoping it would all disappear, or giving a quick “I’m sorry” to a reporter or in their Facebook status, our team leaders went straight to the administration the following day and apologized.
They then worked together to draft an apology. Keep in mind, that this was an off-campus gathering that had no official connection to Carleton. There were other people at that gathering that were not all Fall Orientation volunteers. But they made sure to apologize to the administration as they saw the effects these T-shirts had to Carleton’s reputation.
It was hard for them to watch these events unfold, and even harder for them to admit they made a mistake.
Amidst everything, it is now time to rebuild a positive atmosphere with these individuals and those offended. Everyone has expressed their opinions on social media. Our team leaders have proactively apologized and have indicated they will perform community service. It is time for Carleton to persevere through this situation and show other universities that our students and our Fall Orientation program is still the best in the country.
I’m aware that this will not happen overnight. I’m not living in a utopia.
But knowing the individuals and everything they’ve been through, and also seeing the amount of rage by the people they’ve offended, I think it’s time to have a collective two-sided discussion. There was a reason why everything happened the way it did. It’s time to turn it this into something positive, which can only happen through proper communication and working together.
No more blame game. No more labelling. Let’s listen to each other and move forward. Let’s show other universities that we can bounce back from any difficult situation. At the end of the day, we are all Ravens.
At least, that’s what four years of participating in Carleton’s Fall Orientation program taught me.
