Yaya Corley
Contributing Writer
Respect should not be negotiable, yet on this campus it often feels like it is. We hear promises of inclusion and community in glossy brochures and speeches, but in our classrooms, dorms and student organizations, respect is unevenly distributed. Some students receive it automatically, while others have to fight for every ounce. For too long we have been told to be grateful for the opportunity to be here, to stay quiet and to wait for change. But respect is not a privilege to be granted at someone else’s convenience. It is the bare minimum. And we are done asking politely.
On this campus, respect shows up when it is easy and disappears when it requires real accountability. Professors dismiss the voices of students who do not fit their expectations. Administrators host “diversity” panels without inviting the very students most impacted by inequity. Student organizations that serve marginalized communities are underfunded and undervalued and forced to do twice the work for half the recognition. These are not small oversights. They are patterns that reveal where the institution’s priorities truly lie.
Respect matters because it determines whether students thrive here or merely survive. Without it, students withdraw from classroom discussions, doubt their own abilities and carry stress that erodes their mental health. No student should have to sacrifice dignity for a diploma. Respect is not politeness. It belongs. Respect is being heard. Respect is being taken seriously.
If this campus continues to treat respect as optional, the consequences will only grow. More students will stop speaking up, and be convinced their words do not matter. Student organizations will fade without the support they need. Talented students will transfer to schools where they feel valued. Future applicants will hear about the reality behind the ideal images and choose to go elsewhere. Alumni will recognize the hypocrisy and withhold their support. Faculty and staff who believe in equity will leave for institutions that practice what they preach. What begins as a lack of respect will end as a reputation of failure.
The choice this college faces is simple. It can continue down this path of alienation and distrust, or it can do the hard work of building a culture where respect is the foundation. That means holding professors accountable when bias occurs, funding cultural and identity-based organizations fairly and ensuring that student voices are not only heard but acted upon. Respect is not a slogan or a gesture, it is a daily practice. We have been patient long enough. We will not wait quietly anymore. We are demanding your respect and this time, our demand will not be ignored.