Calling Gaels to Action: Students meet to discuss administration's response to hate crime

By Norah Schramm
News Editor 

“Tonight is for you. Tonight is for us.” The opening lines of the Calling Gaels to Action were a very powerful and important tone to set the message in response to the ABC7 news story that broke last week. There was also a Collegian article that discussed these events. There were five key sections of the brave space guidelines: 

1. Controversy and acknowledgement
2. Own your intention and your impact
3. Challenge by choice
4. No attacks
5. Respect

The night was arranged into 4 segments: 

A 7 PM INTRO:
This was a smaller discussion about the timeline of the events and the rules to create a safe and brave space for all students at this discussion. Another topic that was brought to the attention of the student body was that some trusted faculty were at the event. 

7:10 PM SMALL GROUPS
The purpose was to help facilitate the hard and difficult discussions that can then become demands for this institution to abide by. Many people shared their racist experiences at Saint Mary's, and honoring the forum's ask, we are not going to go into specifics. Afterwards, the student leaders transitioned to the video by going to the end of the time allotted for small group discussion and some share out with the whole group. Then there was a transition into the video put together by President Thomson. 

7:20 pm Video and Solidarity Statement:

Video by President Thomson, and a solidarity statement from a trusted faculty member. There was a little bit of unease when watching the video, as some students voiced their concerns over the lack of responce or actionable response that the student body found to be the topics that they were hoping to have met by the current administration. 

8 PM Demands List:
Looking to the future and discussing demands that the institution needs to address in the future. The demands list was collected by lists of paper on the wall or on pieces of paper that were then collected by the organizers of the event. Another student spoke at the event about the lack of Saint Mary’s College signing the AACU Statement. The AACU Statement is a solidarity movement and statement about the attacks on Higher Education from the Trump administration. 

“President Thompson,
We, the undersigned students, are concerned that Saint Mary’s has not yet signed the American Association of Colleges and Universities statement entitled “A Call for Constructive Engagement.” We would like our college to be aligned with other institutions that have already signed in standing for the freedoms and rights of American institutions of higher learning during this critical moment. We believe that the mission of the college directly aligns with the AACU statement. As an institution, we stand by these principles: 

Concern For the Poor and Social Justice
We are in solidarity with the poor and advocate for those suffering from injustices. 
Faith in the Presence of God
We believe in the living presence of God in our students, our community and our world. 
Quality Education
We engage in quality education together as students, staff and faculty by thinking critically and examining our world in light of faith. 
Respect for all Persons
We honor and respect the dignity of all individuals.
Inclusive Community

We celebrate diversity and welcome all members of our community.
As students of Saint Mary’s we believe in the foundational protections given to higher education by the US Government. We recognize that we are in an era that is seeking to remove the stability of these protections by going after higher education. In signing this letter, we would be among 562 (as of 4/29/25) institutions that have decided that access to education, as well as what education looks like, belongs to institutions. We believe in the promise and the message that Saint Mary’s has to offer, which is why we the undersigned students have taken action to voice our concerns directly. At this moment in time we respectfully request that you take the initiative to sign the AACU letter, or provide information or reasoning as to why the institution is unable to sign this letter.

Sincerely,
The undersigned students”

You can find more information by going to the petition itself linked here.
The meeting was planned to finish at 9 pm, however the meeting ended at 8:20 pm. There were conversations that occurred post the event in the event space, and there was free food like Oliver Hall pizza served at the event. Overwhelmingly, the student body was represented in mass quantities. 

UPDATE (5/16): As of May 16, President Thompson has signed the AACU statement.