2020 has been a year of social change, justice, and reflection, both around the world and within the Pace University community. I cannot speak for what happens on the Pace Pleasantville campus, but the New York City campus community has been advocating since around April. As the school year is just beginning, change and revolutions are not slowing down, and the latest one features a key factor in students and the University’s success; the professors.
Pace University professors will be stalling most classes and business operations on both campuses September 8th and 9th to stand in solidarity with the 2020 Scholarly Strike. I was made aware of the Scholar Strike yesterday when one of my professors emailed us to acknowledge their reasons for striking and canceling class for the day. As a student who has watched our campus transform over the past few months, I was met with mixed emotions about this announcement. I was happy and proud to see my professors come together for social justice and equality, yet sad that the University’s administration will probably stay silent on this issue, as they usually do. I know this is how universities run, but I question if Pace realizes that being silent only makes the community angrier and potential students turn away.
The Scholar Strike was inspired by strikes from the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball held within the last few weeks. The purpose of the protest is to reflect and bring recognition to the Black Lives Matter movement, the increasing number of African American police brutality victims, and excessive force used by police departments.
As I watch 2020 continue to bring more pain and need for reflection, I often wonder how people can just move on from situations. We keep seeing young adults and teenagers fighting for these basic human rights, and older generations often dismissing them as being “too sensitive” when in reality our world is on the verge of being unfixable. “How does this relate to the Scholar Strike?” you might ask. As someone who was given a student leadership position by my peers, I cannot stand to sit back and watch them fight alone. I feel this reflects how some of the University’s professors are feeling, angry, and hurt that we have to keep doing this.
One thing I love about Pace is that the community will not accept bare minimum cooperation. We will not allow the administration, who most likely enjoys a wealthy amount of our 70k tuition, to just give us the safe answer. Our professors are a leading example of risking their job to stand in solidarity with their students, yet our administration is still being exposed to being racist and complicit with racism within the Pace Performing Arts. I am proud to see my community and professors keep the strive for change alive, whether they are on campus or learning remotely. We know things need to change, and if you think a bunch of young adults who moved to New York City with nothing guaranteed will ever stop, you are wrong to the highest extent.
The Scholar Strike is another link in the chain of the Pace community knowing we have to be better. We have to take the first step into making the society that we want so our children won’t have to protest, yet, hopefully, they will be able to continue the journey into making humanity empathetic again.