University students ready to stand against bigotry unless it inconveniences them in any way

Siobhan Nerz, Contributing Writer

This week, the Bucknellian features student Faye Care ’23. Faye has been selected for this day-in-the-life piece because of his commitment to creating a more inclusive campus and for his recent accomplishment of founding the Bison Against Bigotry club. 

On the morning of October 27 I followed Faye as he started his day by driving to class. Faye took care to proudly show me his Bernie 2016 sticker that he “thrifted” from a Volvo in the parking lot of a ski resort in Vermont. As he drove, Faye explained how he is colorblind and does not see race. However, Faye failed to mention how this vision impairment affects his driving skills. It seemed to me that Faye’s “wokeness” did not apply to the state of his body in the morning because he proceeded to plow over a Black Lives Matter sign. When I suggested we stop the car, Faye insisted that we didn’t have time because he was running late to his Africana Studies class. Due to my carsickness, I decided to roll out of Faye’s Jeep Wrangler when he slowed down during a turn. Faye and I planned to meet again after his class.

Later in the day, I met Faye in the Academic quad. He explained how he was going to be one of the few students in his Women’s and Gender Studies class to do the optional reading. When I inquired about the subject of the reading, Faye opened the PDF to show it to me. Unfortunately, the professor had uploaded the reading upside down. In response to this obstacle, Faye was no longer willing to read the article titled “LGBTQ Students on College Campuses.” I suggested that he print the piece; however, Faye said he didn’t have a printer in his residential building. Additionally, he wasn’t interested in reading about “lemons, grapes, beets, tomatoes, and quinoa” because he already has an appreciation for healthy foods since he follows Joe Biden’s fitness Instagram account (@Biden_Bod).

That evening, I observed Faye at his Bison Against Bigotry meeting. Although the club is new, it already has a large membership because Faye recruited all the brothers of his fraternity. Unfortunately, due to the meeting taking place on a Wednesday, those in attendance were confused about the purpose of the gathering. Many of the meeting-goers showed up dressed as bison because they thought it was the “theme.” Overall, I hope readers are inspired by Faye’s dedication to diversity and inclusion. I would like to end this article with a quote from Faye. I was utterly moved when the leader of the Bison Against Bigotry club eloquently remarked that Wednesday evening’s meeting required a large cooler and red solo cups because his club members are “thirsty for equality.”

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