The Power of Equality
The two readings for this week, the Students Rights and Responsibilities contract and “The Power of Hello”, share a common theme of equality. The authors of these various documents discuss how people, whether it be students or janitors, should be treated. Both readings come to the consensus that human beings are equal and affiliation with an institution or certain job should not allow for discrimination.
The preamble of the Students Rights and Responsibilities contract, discusses the rights of a student at the university. Article 1 clearly states that students, because of their connection to this institution, are not exempt from certain human rights such as freedom of speech. Since I was six, I attended a private Jewish institution and was subjected to different rules and regulations that barred me from feeling a sense of academic freedom. At this public university, students and faculty alike are granted the same basic human rights as any other individuals that reside in the United States of America.
Howard White’s essay, The Power of Hello, describes the author’s inclination to always address and acknowledge people. No matter their job, race, age, or gender he believes that every person should be spoken to. The thesis of this essay really excites me. I believe people should take just a little time out of their lives to communicate with others. Whether it is going down to the dining hall and saying thank you to the kitchen staff or seeing a professor at a coffee shop, everybody deserves the same respect as the next.
These documents were essential to read at the start of the school year. As a freshman, I am surrounded by new faces and people that hail from different parts of the world. Each and every person I meet should be treated the same way. I am not the only person that should be abiding by these rules. Teachers must memorize the preamble and allow students their educational rights and peers just like me should say hello to the new face sitting next to them in their 10 AM class. Everybody can learn a valuable lesson from these two readings and then maybe, in Champaign- Urbana, we can all make this little corner of our world a place of equality and respect.