By Kassondra Granata
Vance Hall Resident Assistants Brittany Mahoney and Alex Kanopf hosted a program on Monday to prevent the use of the “r-word” in order to avoid hurting those with special needs.
At a table in the student center, students were able to sign a plaque with the saying “Spread the word to end the word.”
“We put on a program to promote diversity,” said Mahoney. “It’s different and we thought it was important. We got $800 from the IRC Budget Committee and we’re just really hoping for a good turnout.”
Mahoney and Kanopf live on the Living Learning Community floor in Vance Hall, a place where students of the same age group live together.
“We decided as a group that we wanted to do a program to benefit other people,” said Kanopf. “I have two brothers with a disability, and a sister with the same disability, and other people here are strongly against using the ‘r-word’. It’s been big in my family and I figured it would be great to bring to the community.”
Robyn Hicock, a supporter of the program and also a committed participant in the Special Olympics, believed that this is a very important cause and everyone should understand it.
“I have a sister with special needs and I’ve been involved with Special Olympics my whole life,” said Hicock. “I’m always telling people to stop using it. It’s not that people say it on purpose it’s just that they don’t realize that it’s hurtful. This program is to get people to understand that it’s hurting people even if they do not think so.”
The campaign for the “r-word” is national, but the group wanted to get a “Central version” out there before the big day comes.
Larry Clark, a pledge and also an RA in Vance Hall found the rally very inspirational.
“I really never thought about it before, but I now realize that it is something important. If I was a person with special needs and heard someone say it, even though it’s meant to say ‘that’s stupid,’ it would bother me,” said Clark. “I don’t use it a lot, I just don’t like the word. In middle school it was used a lot, but there’s not enough education about it and a bunch of people have pledged today and were still getting more.”
Alyssa Prince is also an RA and pledge in Vance who finds that “r word” intolerable.
“Personally I have a family member with down syndrome so I find it offensive,” said Prince. “It’s a new word for ‘you’re stupid,’ it’s a place holder now and it’s not acceptable.”
Katelynn Bento, a pledge, felt moved by the program and encouraged others to pledge.
“I don’t like it. I know people who have been offended by it,” said Bento. “Where I’m from, our high school had a whole seminar on it and the whole school pledged not to say it and we all feel very strong about it.”
By the end of the program, the program received 150 pledges and special education teacher Dr. Nicholson told Mahoney and Kanopf to bring the plaque to the classrooms to gain more pledges.
“Our goal was 100 and we were just hoping for people to understand it better more than the actual number of signatures,” said Mahoney. “It’s good to see that people are more understanding and conscientious about it.”
To learn more about the “r-word” pledge, you can visit www.r-word.org and “Spread the Word to End the Word.”