Hey Miami community —

Hey Miami community —

Whether it's your first time here, one of your last or anything in between, welcome to the school year. A new academic year provides for so much opportunity, and I can’t wait to be with the The Miami Student staff again and be ready to tell your stories.

There is so much room for growth and reflection this year.

Whatever that means for you might not be the same as what it means for someone next to you, or your roommate, or the person you keep seeing in Armstrong, or the professor of the class right before yours or the friend you made in class that you never see elsewhere.

It’s important to be kind, as elementary as it sounds. And here’s one of many good reasons to do so:

Those same people that are part of the Miami community around you are the ones speaking up on the @dearmiamiu Instagram page. So, your actions matter.

It matters that you make the choice to call out disrespect and injustice when you see or hear it. It’s important to address diversity, equity and inclusion issues when it comes to all aspects of student life, including in the classroom, campus leadership and student organizations. You deserve to be heard if you are the one who has shared a traumatic or hurtful experience.

Disseminating important stories is what we do here at The Student, and I can testify that the power of sharing experiences with others, especially the stories that often don’t get told, makes room for more empathy and a better world.

I am saddened and angered by the things I have read on that account, but hopeful that their presence will spark more conversations and evoke change.

All students, faculty and staff at Miami should be able to feel safe and welcome here. I hope this year provides that for everyone, and I hope you choose to make this campus a better place by being a part of it. We all want better for our community, and that starts with paying attention and listening.

Over the last three years of my time here at Miami, I’ve been so grateful to have been part of The Student because I’ve been able to be part of the storytelling that fosters conversation and connection within a community. I step into my last year both as a student and as one of the many leaders of this organization who take campus climate issues seriously.

By the time I sit down to write my last letter to the community, I want to look back and see the path the 2022-2023 Miami community carved. I want to see how we’ve pushed past the uncomfortable and the ugly to take a step in the right direction. I want to be proud of the legacy we hand down year after year, even if it's just the beginning of something bigger to come.

I’ve been lucky to meet so many people here that I know will change the spaces they go into after school, because they changed the space they were in today.

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That’s the goal.

Whoever you are and however much time you have left at Miami — take care of those around you, as well as yourself. Life is better for everyone when we’re mindful of the spaces we inhabit and are prioritizing kindness.

guntercr@miamioh.edu

@cosettegunter