By Kait Laubscher, ’12
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University will participate in the nationwide “Enough is Enough” campaign on campus during the week of April 16. St. Bonaventure and campuses across the country will speak out, engage in dialogue, and take action to stem the tide of societal violence, according to Vito Czyz, St. Bonaventure’s director of safety and security, and a faculty organizer of the event.
In 2008, Dr. Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, Virginia Tech University vice president of student affairs, called on fellow student affairs administrators to work “with a fierce urgency” to counteract and prevent societal violence, which, in turn, will help prevent campus violence. In her address, she declared, “enough is enough,” in regard to school violence. The Enough is Enough campaign was the result of Lawrence Hikes’s plea.
In recognition of both the Virginia Tech University and Columbine High School shootings, “Enough is Enough” week will be celebrated throughout the United States in April, which is also National Give Life Month. Czyz and the St. Bonaventure community plan to recognize both aspects of the month during “Enough is Enough” week.
“It is our goal, as we plan activities for ‘Enough is Enough’ Week, to incorporate elements along this whole spectrum, from remembrance to proactive engagement in life-affirming and community-building activities,” Czyz said.
Activities begin Monday at St. Bonaventure and include:
- Take the Pledge (Monday): Stop by the “Enough is Enough” table set up outside the bookstore in the Reilly Center to sign a pledge in support of the campaign’s anti-violence message. The “Enough is Enough” team will also be giving out magnets.
- safeTALK training (Monday): This three-hour program will be held Monday, April 16, starting at 5 p.m.. Participants will receive training on how to comfortably communicate with people who may be potentially suicidal. The program will be held in De La Roche Hall room 123 and those who participate will be given a certificate.
- American Red Cross Blood Drive (Monday and Tuesday): MERT will host a blood drive in the lobby of Shay-Loughlin April 16 and 17 from 1 to 7 p.m.
- Take Action Day (Tuesday): Voices, a campus group that supports women’s issues, invites the SBU community to wear black and white in observance of Take Action Day on April 17.
- Healthy Relationships Workshop (Tuesday): Roger Keener, director of the St. Bonaventure Wellness Center, will lead an interactive presentation from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, that focuses on the elements and ingredients of quality, healthy relationships.
- Take Back the Night (Wednesday): The event starts at 6:15 p.m. and includes speakers and presentations in support of women’s fight against domestic violence. Location is not yet determined.
- Moment/ Day of Silence for Victims of Violence (Thursday): The “Enough is Enough” team will lead a moment of silence at 12:20 p.m. near the Peace Pole outside University Ministries for victims of school violence. The “Enough is Enough” team also encourages the campus community to observe April 19 as a Day of Silence in honor of the victims.
- Holocaust Remembrance Day service (Thursday): A memorial service to observe Holocaust Remembrance Day will be held at 7 p.m. in the University Chapel, Doyle Hall. The speakers will include University President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., and Joseph Diamond, a Holocaust survivor.
- Thisness Rally (Friday): At 12:30 p.m. on the De La Roche lawn, an 8-foot-tall puzzle will be assembled as part of the university’s year-long “Thisness” project, an anti-bullying campaign. Campus clubs and organizations are invited to decorate one of these 53 pieces on April 16 and 17 in the Merton Center.
- Music Night (Friday): “Enough is Enough” week will conclude Friday, April 20, at the Rathskeller with a karaoke night from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.