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Together Apart: Freshman Colloquium

Panel 9: Community and Accountability

The writers in this panel turn toward complex questions of how we best care for, support, and improve our communities. Some writers examine how prioritizing the health of the community conflicts with personal freedoms, desires, and preferences. Others take up the mantle of advocacy and witnessing by amplifying the voices and concerns of those who are in danger, discriminated against, or psychically struggling. Across the panel, whether writing about Covid 19, mental health struggles, food deserts, or environmental justice, the participants demonstrate their desires for a more understanding, empathic, and just world. --V. O.

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Contents of this path:

Contents of this path:

By Valerie Dao

In “Should schools be reopened?” I wrestle with my conflicting wishes of wanting to meet my new classmates and experience “the college lifestyle”- meeting people virtually does not provide the same interactions as meeting physically- while also wanting to protect my and my family’s health and acknowledging the benefits of online learning. Through reasoning, I decide my stance on whether or not schools should be reopened during the pandemic.
By Jihu Lee

In my work, I explore how paternalism is justified when making decisions about health. My main points are that paternalism leads us to make better decisions for ourselves and that paternalism is especially important among health professionals because their decisions will impact the public. Ultimately, I argue in favor of soft paternalism specifically, which works on a basis of respect and compassion for others.
By Jordan Wang

This paper discusses the implications of coercive paternalism and its role in fast food. More specifically, it addresses the fast-food ban in South LA in 2008 to first clear up any misinterpretations with the ban and its true intentions, then talk about the implications of race and social class in the ban, and finally how we can supplement the ban and put society on a path to healthier eating. The main research objective is to determine the extent to which government intervention is needed when it comes to protecting one’s health.
By Abhijay Raj Paturi

My piece is titled “Aren’t we all witnesses?” The hope is for readers, like yourselves, to better understand how to respond to this question in the title. The inspiration for this piece was Professor Mullins and her TA Anna, who teach the GSEM 110 class, Poem, Plays, and Politics. In this class, we have focused our discussions on defining who a witness is through the works of James Baldwin. In doing so, I was able to further reflect upon my choice to act when I learned of my friend’s suicide. The piece begins and ends with my inner thoughts, some of which that pertain to our current lockdown experience, specifically the repetitive nature of each day. I’ve also lost friends and family to COVID-19 like millions of others. We are all currently witnesses to preventable death, especially those due to racial injustice. My goal with this piece is to inspire even one reader to wholeheartedly fulfill their role as a witness.
By Gabriela Martinez

My paper focuses on my personal role as a witness and activist in my own community. From volunteering with the Newark Water Coalition to protesting for Black Lives Matter, it has been incredibly important that I remain involved in my community and to use my own voice. I also evaluate the role of James Baldwin as both a witness and an activist during his time and the foundation is has laid for present-day activists, like me. It is of undying importance that we record what we bear witness to and to reclaim our narratives.