The public university is regarded as one of the few institutions through which all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status, have the chance to pursue academic, personal and professional achievement — free from manipulation or interference. However, when existing policies inadvertently perpetuate inequality of opportunity for certain groups of students, one would hope the institution pursues corrective action.
For the past several decades, concerns have remained present that The University of Alabama’s campus elections have disproportionately benefited wealthy students who participate in expensive Greek life organizations, concerns emphasizing a partition that has systematically excluded qualified low-income students from such opportunities. As a member of a Greek life organization, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of this affiliation on access to opportunity.
However, positive change is on the horizon, and a future in which all students –– regardless of socioeconomic status or Greek life affiliation –– have the ability to pursue on-campus opportunities is becoming increasingly viable, effectively expanding representation of historically underrepresented groups at the University.
This past September, I intended to put my own long-standing passion for educational equality into action. Utilizing the platform to advance access to opportunities for our area’s youngest learners, I applied and interviewed for The University of Alabama’s Homecoming Court. After building a campaign team and connecting with local charitable organizations to benefit, I faced a relentless intimidation effort intended to coerce me to withdraw from the court.
To maintain the secrecy of UA students initiating such harassment, I was urged to say nothing about their unabated texts, phone calls or meetings to anyone. It became clear that in order to end the harassment, my presence in the race needed to come to an end first.
My story is certainly not the first of its kind.
In December, despite multiple provisions in the UA Code of Conduct surrounding harassment and election interference, I received an email from the director of Student Conduct stating that the office was unable to pursue any action in regard to the harassment I faced through its existing Code of Conduct.
In the wake of this decision, I reached out to leaders at The University of Alabama, explaining that in its current state, the Code of Conduct and its application protects students who seek to manipulate on-campus elections through harassment and intimidation tactics, and fails to safeguard all students who hope to pursue on-campus opportunities.
Through discussion with the Office of Student Conduct and the Office of Student Life, an amendment to the Code of Conduct has been developed that includes strong protections against intimidation and harassment of candidates before and during elections, ensuring such actions are met with appropriate punitive measures.
In its current state, the Code of Conduct does not protect candidates in on-campus elections from intimidation or harassment tactics that intend to manipulate elections. By including strengthened language through the proposed amendment, students –– regardless of Greek life or socioeconomic status –– can feel protected as they pursue on-campus opportunities, and elections will become less prone to interference or manipulation.
In November and December emails, the director of the Office of Student Conduct stated that while updates to the code are typically only enacted at the start of fall semesters, this amendment is currently undergoing the approval process. He noted that the office is “constantly assessing the scope and content of the Code of Conduct.”
My love for the University and passion for ensuring equal opportunity at this institution is what drives me forward in the pursuit of amending the Code of Conduct. The strong sense of hope institutions like the University hold in affording underprivileged communities opportunities that are otherwise inaccessible is a concept that I’m confident the University of Alabama will seek to uphold through approving this amendment. Students should feel safe and protected as they pursue on-campus opportunities, and I firmly believe that all who love this university share this perspective.
I maintain certainty that in the coming years, The University of Alabama will continue to recruit high-achieving and opportunity-seeking students from all over the country, and more importantly, from all walks of life. Boasting the highest number of National Merit Scholars in the country, a growing out-of-state population, and successes spanning both academia and athletics, it’s undoubted that this university will continue to thrive in coming years, recruiting students with a broad range of lived experiences.
It is my hope that the University nurtures its increasingly diverse, high-achieving talent by affording them the equal chance to pursue opportunities –– ensuring that such opportunities are accessible to all and are protected from manipulation.
An amendment to the Code of Conduct is a crucial step in that direction.