CONTRIBUTING WRITER – ANNA BOONE
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 28, 2022
Imagine you are a student, specifically one with a uterus. You wake up as you do every day and go to class – another great day of learning. Or perhaps you wake up to grab a coffee at Starbucks before a long day of studying, but before the day even begins – you are interrupted. On the regular route to class or coffee, you come face to face with the heavy topic of individual rights. Before one can even start a full day of lectures and classroom discussions, there is a reminder of the laws concerning you and your body.
On the morning of Oct.20, marks of white-chalked messages of Bible verses and phrases inciting pro-life sentiment stood visible, covering the strip of sidewalk between the St. Mary’s University Center and the first floor of the Blume Library. The written messages measured several feet, starting from the Alkek Business Building and University Center and ending at the sidewalk close to the steps leading up to the Barrett Memorial Bell Tower. On their way about campus, these messages caught the attention of students, faculty and staff, some pausing to read the written words, some asking around to understand why the chalk was there and who wrote it and others walking right over without sparing another glance. Many students in particular discussed what the campus should do about having these messages written on campus and in a central location where many will cross on campus. Some phrases on the sidewalk included: “Your Mom (chose life)” and “Take my hand, not my life.”The chalk messages were pro-life writings. According to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary, pro-life means “opposed to abortion.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that abortion is “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by,resulting in or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” Accordingto a survey done by theNational Library of Medicine,most respondents saidthat “having a baby wouldinterfere with work, school or other responsibilities” and that “they could not afford to have a child” or that “they did not want to be a single parent.” On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn “Roe v. Wade” which had federally protected access to abortion for years. This overturn has allowed Texas to prohibit and criminalize abortion.
Reactions from students about this pro- life topic sparked discussion about free speech and methods of utilizing it. The concern came from some students who had trouble identifying the motive behind the writings wondering if another recent event prompted this. Another concern came from the ability to utilize the campus sidewalks to chalk out messages, especially if those messages are related to opinions and beliefs that have been major topics brought up in national and state politics, especially during early voting in Texas. Some students reached out to faculty and staff to ask about actions they could take in response to the chalk messages throughout the day. From student responses and questions, there were different responses about what they could or couldn’t do about the writing. Confusion also came from students who had attempted to write chalk art and written messages in past semesters. St. Mary’s did not permit past chalk art and messages on campus, power washing them off the sidewalk. This time, the chalk messages were on the sidewalk for the majority of the day, bringing questions forward about why the university permits certain phrases to remain up while others in the past have not been able to stay up.
St. Mary’s University dedicates itself to ensuring the growth and education of its students. This event disrupted students across campus, some commenting that they did not want to go to class or were concerned for their safety. It could bring the campus as a whole to consider their environment when it comes to utilizing their voices about social topics.