In light of recent events that have plagued Boston University’s campus in the Spring 2012 semester, there were calls from students and the wider community for open dialogue.
Sexual assault has been a widely discussed topic these past few months, and there was a need for congregation and conversation.
The BU Ideas Festival took place this past weekend in response. According to the Facebook event that circulated through the BU community, the aim of the weekend was to bring together organizations and individuals around BU over meaningful dialogue and a chance to engage in issues that are most important to us all. In addition, the festival was supposed to generate a new “Social Contract,” which did not materialize.
The first issue that hindered the festival’s progress was a lack of publicity. The event as a whole was not circulated with the persistence necessary to spread the word. As a result, an opportunity that could have united the BU community in the way it intended was severely lacking in attendees.
Furthermore, the lack of decisive leadership or direct involvement by a core set of organizations took away from the event.
The Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism has taken many measures to ensure the discussion on preventing sexual assault occurs. The fact that they were invited solely as participants and were not invited to collaborate with those organizing the BU Ideas Festival is disappointing.
In order for events like these to be effective, there has to be clear communication as to what the event should achieve, how this will be done and who is most qualified to lead the effort. By stepping away from branding an event as focusing on the views of one organization, a certain sense of direction is lost.
Issues regarding sexual assault and BU’s response to it will remain topical for the foreseeable future. The least we can do as a student body is to organize dialogues that truly encompass the multitude of voices that exist on campus.
Hopefully, when an event of this nature is organized in the future, it will present the tools and expertise necessary to make a difference.
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