A letter to the BU community

This letter does not reflect the editorial opinion of The Daily Free Press. It is solely the work of the author.

My Fellow Students,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you back to campus for another school year here on Commonwealth Avenue. As you hang your decorations around your room, I wanted to take a moment of your time to welcome you home. Whether this is your first week of college or your last time unloading a yellow cart, take a second to stop and enjoy this moment. The school year will fly by, and soon Thanksgiving recess will be here and then exams and first semester will come to a close. So bask in this accomplishment. You made it here. With the help of others, some family and friends, and a few strangers, you have arrived here at Boston University. You bring with you a unique narrative that no one else can tell as well as you.

As your Student Body President, I can say it is good to finally see you. I hope your summer was full of growth and new opportunities, and you come into this school year fresh and excited. I am thrilled with the possibilities that this school year holds for us as a collective.

This year Student Government is seeking to be a part of your lives more than ever, and in doing so, I extend to you an open invitation to join our family. Join us at Splash on Saturday, September 8th, or at the opening of our Student Gov Office in the lower level of the George Sherman Union on September 5th at 6 PM. We have so much in store, so many opportunities for us to come together as a community. Although coming to BU may be overwhelming, don’t forget that we are here for you. Day and night, weekday or weekend, we seek to make this place we all call Boston University, home.

Where values such as humanity, trust and compassion thrive on campus. We witnessed a summer of instability, with the morals of humanity being threatened, and the fabric of how we treat others as humans being challenged. So remind each other while walking on campus that we are in this together. Remind each other that there is no room for hate on our campus. That we as a community will consistently show up for one another. Remind each other of the power that we have when we come together as a community. We, as a Student Body, should exhibit love and compassion, and continue to do more for each other. We, as Boston University students, have an immense privilege and responsibility to restore the idea that is embedded within the human condition: e pluribus unum, “out of many one.” I hope to accomplish a sense of connectedness with student groups, professors and administrators.

I’ll leave you with a piece of advice that I was told by Starsky Wilson, an advocate for social justice based in Ferguson, Missouri. “Find your place, stay in your place, until it is no longer your place.” As we progress and navigate through this school year, be okay with change and new experiences, and seek opportunities to come together. We ran last year on building a better community together, this is where it begins.

Welcome Home,

Devin K. Harvin

Student Body President