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Friday, March 29, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

UB Enough is Enough

Have you held the door for a fellow student lately? Thanked the bus driver? Or even cracked a smile at an unfamiliar classmate?

If the answer is no, then you may not being doing your share.

According to the UB chapter of the nationwide initiative Enough is Enough, now is the time to band together and voice the sweet sound of harmony.

"We really want to infuse the campus with some positive energy," said Jodi Stelley, the educational programming coordinator of UB Enough is Enough. "We're asking people to stop and think about how [they] can make a positive change on this campus."

Having helped launch the UB Chapter two years ago as a senior undergrad here at UB, Stelley is ready to kick off this semester's campaign with a week of workshops and activities starting on Monday, Sept. 19.

These programs will aim at bringing staff and students together.

"[Our goal is] replacing violence with kindness," Stelley said.

The movement, heavily inspired by the violent incidents in the past at Virginia Tech and at Columbine High School, encourages students to foster an atmosphere of safety and kindness on campus.

If history serves as a reminder, it is the cost of not collectively engaging students that is steep. Research shows that when people feel they don't belong in a community, these feelings are more likely to escalate into larger acts of violence.

Now, part of an organization that is over 150 schools strong, UB's Chapter of Enough is Enough is trying to do its part in the hopes of avoiding a tragedy like the one at Virginia Tech.

During the kickoff next week, togetherness will be just one of the many themes that UB Enough is Enough will discuss. They will also have flyers containing GR codes that can be scanned along with the workshops and host awareness activities. These codes, if scanned, will provide lucky participants a chance to be awarded with one of several prizes, including tickets to Lion King 3D at Shea's stadium, dinner for two at Bollywood Bistro and more.

There will also be other unique opportunities for students to better their community and positively engage one another through the Random Acts of Kindness campaign. This campaign encourages students to perform random acts of kindness based on advice attached to pins that will be handed out in the Student Union all week.

"I think that we can stamp out violence in its most egregious and its smallest forms by small acts... so that you would be just as upset if your best friend was assaulted in a parking as you would if it were a stranger," Stelley said.

Everyone has a part to play in making our community a better place, and everyone can move closer toward making this dream a reality. UB's Enough is Enough chapter hopes to do just that.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com


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