Human Dignity Forum Draws Large Crowds to Discuss Bullying

By: Steven Bianco
Posted In: News

The night of the Human Dignity forum was quiet and peaceful. By 6 p.m., students and professors begun to pour into the pews of Our Lady of Mercy Chapel. Soon, nearly 100 people filled the building to the extent that some had to sit upon the floors and lean on walls. Voices flowed and fluctuated all about as panelists sat in solemn silence by the altar, their earnest faces expressing full preparation for the orations they would give. It was when the little church’s capacity had nearly been overflowed that lights dimmed, conversation halted and the forum began.

Students and faculty alike were drawn to tears and evoked to applause at the Forum on Human Dignity, hosted by the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life and co-sponsored by the Department of Religious and Theological Studies as well as a multitude of campus organizations, on Nov. 2. The reflective gathering was scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and was organized in response to the death of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year old Rutgers freshman who committed suicide after an invasion of privacy and harassment because of his sexual preference this past September.

When the lights dimmed, a projector shined on a white screen at the center of the chapel and presented a PowerPoint slideshow set to John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change.” The slideshow displayed statistics, facts about and images of bullying. Within minutes, the presentation ended and Anna Mae Mayer took the podium. Mayer proceeded to give a brief message from University President Sister Jane Gerety, who could not attend the forum, and conceded the floor to assistant professor of Religious and Theological Studies, Dr. Christiaan Jacobs-Vandegeer. “Thank you all for coming,” began Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer. “Tyler Clementi was 18 years-old. He very much loved the violin, was enrolled as a freshman at Rutgers, and was very shy.However, he found a connection, another male, whom he invited to his dorm.” Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer then went on to describe how Tyler’s roommate, Dahrun Ravi, conspired with a friend named Molly Wei to film Clementi’s private activities with a hidden camera. Following the filming, Ravi and Wei uploaded videos of Clementi and his sexual partner onto the internet.

“Upon finding this out,” said Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer, “Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge, and into the Hudson River.” “The proximity of these types of suicides must be recognized. We must ask ourselves now how we feel about harassment.”

According to the New York Daily News, Clementi committed suicide on Sept. 22, his body officially identified by authorities on Sept. 30.

Over the course of 2010, bullying among youth in public and private US schools has become a significant concern, especially in regard to provoked suicides similar to Tyler Clementi’s. According to Child-abuse-effects.com, bullying has been a growing problem internationally since 1990 and is slowly gaining status as a human rights issue. As also noted by this website, a 2010 US national survey has determined that roughly 30 percent of American students from grade six to ten are involved in consistent bullying. Such “bullying” often includes violence, mockery, isolation and browbeating, according to Stopbullyingnow.com.

Observing these factors, the question “why isn’t anyone doing anything?” is often asked. Presently, about 45 states in the US have implemented “anti-bullying” laws to protect children and teenagers. However, in many cases, it’s difficult to see progress in viewing particularly upsetting stories of victims such as Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Mass. who hung herself last January. Besides Phoebe Prince, CBS News reported the suicides of a number of other teenagers who were literally teased, pushed around and tormented to death this year. Among those reported were the deaths of 13-year-old Asher Brown from Texas who shot himself in the head after being tortured by his peers for being gay. Another was 15 year-old Seth Walsh of California who died after attempting to hang himself. He was pushed to the limit through condemnation from others for his homosexual orientation.

The forum carried on with the next speaker, Dr. Johnelle Luciani, RSM, professor in social work and moderator for the Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual Alliance (GSLBA) at Salve Regina University. Her words proved highly inspirational in pinpointing the absurdity of discrimination of sexual orientation as well as the criticality of harassment in our modern times. “I come here as the proud moderator of the Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual Alliance,” she said. “The students I have worked with have taught me that their sexual identity was a part of their unique person but only one part of who they are.”

“Tonight is a wakeup call,” she said. The conclusion of Dr. Luciani’s speech was received with an impressive round of applause.

Dr. Anthony LoPresti, professor of Religious and Theological Studies, came forward to stress the importance of friendship in mankind’s existence. In terms of Tyler Clementi, some could argue that his loneliness played a small part in deciding to take his own life. “I did some research, and found that Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2009 was ‘unfriend'” said LoPresti. “I then went onto Urban Dictionary.com and found that ‘unfriend’ is often used as slang for deleting someone on Facebook.” With this, he referred to how modern online social networks, misuse of the web and an overemphasis on technology have worked in some cases to trivialize friendship and direct communication.

It was through the unethical use of the internet that Tyler Clementi was humiliated. “Friendship is essential to the good life; friendship is essential for happiness,” said Dr. LoPresti. “Technology can be useful and helpful in so many ways, but it may also be integral in distancing us.”

Next, assistant professor in Sociology and Anthropology, Dr. Debra Curtis stepped up to the microphone. “I am intolerant,” Curtis said. “I have difficulty accepting other people’s views.” As people have to confess at Alcoholics Anonymous that they are alcoholics, Dr. Curtis posed the idea that those who are intolerant must do the same. In terms of accepting individuals who are different and thwarting prejudice, tolerance is considered a key aspect. “If my daughter comes up to me and tells me that she wants to spend the rest of her life with a woman, I have to prepare her for the world,” she said. “But if I do not accept her for who she is, I will have no chance in preparing the world for her.”

After Dr. Curtis finished, Vin Testa, a Salve Regina University senior, walked casually before the horde of students and faculty attending the forum. With tearful passion, Testa told his story of how he had been judged for being a bisexual male. With this, he asserted that he knows he will still be loved and will still belong no matter what is being said to him. Senior Evan Gallo also shared experiences of being treated unfairly, having been shunned from potential roommates after coming out as a lesbian as a freshman at Salve. Both of these speakers received the most thunderous ovations, forcing crowd members out of their seats.

Dr. Christiaan Jacobs-Vandegeer gave further insight on Tyler Clementi’s situation, how the Forum on Human Dignity came about, and his opinion on recent trends of teen suicides due to bullying. “It happened organically,” he said. “I heard about the incident at Rutgers with Tyler Clementi. I felt so bad, and I thought it raised the question of how we view human dignity.”

In an email titled “Human Dignity” sent to Anna Mae Mayer, Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer expressed his idea for a meeting that could be held for students to speak their minds in regard to Clementi’s demise and what it means to have compassion for each other. On being asked of his personal perspective on Clementi, Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer said “It’s just heartbreaking; the idea that someone feels so ashamed that they want to end their life is a tragedy.” In response to a question on an idea for preventing harassment-inhibited suicides, he said, “We have to create life-giving communities where people are not isolated, where people can flourish.”

The revelations arrived at during the Forum on Human Dignity left many in awe. “I feel like what happened, things like Tyler Clementi’s suicide, are so distant that you have to have forums like these that really put things into perspective” said Salve freshman Ashley Cudney, who attended the forum.

On Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., a meeting was held for students at the Mercy Center to review possible new plans for Salve Regina University. One initiative is to implement an Honor Code for Student Conduct, which would discourage intimidation on campus. “It would be a terrible and na’ve thought to assume that something such as what happened to Tyler Clementi could not happen here,” said Dr. Jacobs-Vandegeer.