Student Concerns re: Residence Hall

“As citizen artists, we are responsible for the health of our communities, especially within the current socioeconomic climate of this country.”

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**If this resonates with you, please SIGN your name with the link above; we need all the support possible**

We, the undersigned students, are extremely concerned with the Office of Residence Life’s decision to close the Meredith Willson Residence Hall for the entirety of winter break this year. We fear that no students were consulted in the decision, so we are voicing our concern now.

Over 30% of our small student population is international; of those, the majority hails from East Asia. It can be financially devastating to travel the globe for a two-week holiday. This situation renders them effectively homeless and puts many students and their families in a position of financial burden. We are concerned by the email sent to the students from the Office of Residence Life, which states, “flight costs are not a reason for which we will grant extension past 8pm on the 22nd [of December] or prior to noon on Sunday, January 7th.”

President Polisi has reiterated the philosophy of the “Artist as Citizen” throughout his 33-year tenure. To charge students $15,990 – $19,970 to reside in the Residence Hall—including the first-year undergraduate students who are required to live on-campus—and then to treat them with such inconsideration for their financial and emotional wellbeing, is antithetical to that philosophy. As citizen artists, we are responsible for the health of our communities, especially within the current socioeconomic climate of this country.

Additionally, there still exists a separation of church and state in this country. So, why must the Juilliard School assume Christmas is a holiday celebrated by all students? Why must these students sacrifice their time and money in light of a religious holiday that is not their own? This assumption isolates many students in an attempt to clear the Residence Hall for thus far unknown reasons.

In previous years, Resident Assistants have been paid less than $50 per day to continue their duties during the winter break in the Residence Hall. Additional professional on-call positions were created this year, which ought to make it easier to staff the dorms. Especially considering that international students paid $150 to stay over during the vacation, we are confused with how these numbers add up.

But even more than financial considerations, we question the considerations as concerns building community at Juilliard. We ask the Office of Residence Life to reconsider their decision and reinstate the option for students to stay in the dorm over future breaks, as well as communicate with the student community on such decisions.

Sincerely,
Michelle Geffner
Äneas D. Humm
Katelan Terrell
Aaron Albert
Alaina Rea
Angela Wee
Evan Atwell-Harris
Sarah Silverman
Carlyle Cooney
Annie Gard
Jake Darnell
Ricardo Pedrares
Matthew Liu
Khady Gueye
Xu Cheng
Natalia Kutateladze
Hannah Tarley
Leerone Hakami
Matthew Robert Maimone
Michał Biel
Michael Gabriel
Minji Kim
Lydia Graham
Iona Batchelder
Sylvia Jiang
Nathan Hirschaut
Taylor Ann Massa
Pablo O’Connell
Luke Sutliff (class of 2019)
Clarissa Castaneda
Isaiah J. Thompson
Janice Gho
Mitchell Kuhn
John Hewitt
Sophia Steger
Juliette Kenn de Balinthazy
Lisa Sung
Emma Richman
Salome Jordania
Phillip Solomon
Michael Vascones
Maximilian Morel
Jaylyn Elaine Simmons
Jesse Brault
Kaine Ward
David Bender
Joe Peterson
Russell Hoffman
Tyler Cunningham
Tiffany Sun
Ayoun Kim
Jessica Hong
Bianca Norwood
Rosie Yates
Sarah Sung
Rannveig Marta Sarc
Manon Gage
Michael Garcia
Alaina Surgener
Kevin Takeda
Kresley Figueroa
Frida S. Oliver
Helenmarie Vassiliou
Anthony Barrington
Sterling Elliott
Lynn Sue-A-Quan
Sam Siegel
Julius Rodriguez
Claire Satchwell
Olivia McMillan
Calvin Smith
Shereen Pimentel
Rinat Erlichman
Ariel Horowitz
Mikaela Bennett (International Alumni)
Nathaniel Silberschlag
Emily Tate
Casey Hess
Dominic Law
Matthew Quigley
Ma. Regina C. De Vera
Brittany Hewitt
Felix Moseholm
Álvaro Olmedo
Chea Young Kang
Phoebe Gardner
Hava Polinsky
Chris Reynolds
Lauren Siess
James Rootring
Anne Qian Wang
Philip Norris
Rachel Ahn
Alec Manasse
Noah Wang
Emma Pfitzer Price
Jieming Tang
Nicholas Podany
Jeffery Miller
Natalie Vargas Nedvetsky
Abigel Kralik
Anastasia Magamedova
Cameron Liflander
Mark Prihodko
Toney Goins
Jacqueline Tso
Erin Pitts
Chisa Kodaka
Keshav Moodliar
Mikey Garcia
Athena Tsianos
Nina Bernat

“Who is White in Trump’s America?

By Michelle Geffner ’19: …what, exactly, does it mean to be “white”? Or more presently, what does it mean to be “white” in Trump’s America? All my twenty years, I’ve been told by other people how I look. Raised by a blue-eyed dad and obtaining a good deal of his genetic markers, I don’t resemble the poster child of a first generation Asian-American, although I am. I probably don’t evoke the image of a third generation Jewish-American, but I am.…

I felt guilty on January 28. I almost forgot about the Lunar New Year. I know, the rooster is not the most impressive of zodiac signs, but still. This symbolic, flightless bird fell behind the front of my consciousness because I’m half Asian, but I wasn’t raised to be. I mean, I wasn’t raised by anyone Asian. And, in the midst of our political climate, I find myself increasingly aware of this rather disconcerting spectrum of “whiteness”— a concept ever changing in both color and definition. More specifically, since this piece of writing wasn’t intended to be an act of self-indulgence or the verbal vomit of a college student or whatever else it should be called, I must ask: what, exactly, does it mean to be “white”? Or more presently, what does it mean to be “white” in Trump’s America?

All my twenty years, I’ve been told by other people how I look. Raised by a blue-eyed dad and obtaining a good deal of his genetic markers, I don’t resemble the poster child of a first generation Asian-American, although I am. I probably don’t evoke the image of a third generation Jewish-American, but I am. These features “pass” as white, and I have no doubt that my experience has been considerably different from any other person of color because of them—this places me and people like me in a sort of ambivalent spot on the aforementioned spectrum of whiteness. Even when my grandparents came to visit from China, bearing gifts of lai see and sweet red bean pasties, the concept of an “us” was transient and dependent upon too many outside factors. You know that chant, that “Chinese, Japanese, Indian Chief” rhyme kids used to say on the playground? Yep, super racist. What a weird way to spend recess. If this isn’t proof of learned behavioral prejudice, nothing is. Anyway, I was never the butt of those jokes or that chant or any other unassuming albeit racist trope, because I never looked the part. It still hurt my feelings, but prior to the (quite recent) national dialogue that our generation has nurtured in its formative stages, children simply didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate this common playground phenomenon.

And, on the other hand, I’m not Evangelical or a Christian-American, so what’s there to do about that? It wasn’t until the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 that Jewish people (mainly immigrating from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, etc.) were even legally considered Caucasian or “white” in this country, and yet that didn’t stop other European nations from mercilessly targeting them in the decades to follow, and to a lesser degree, to this day. We may wish to assume that we live in a time that is post-colorism, but I believe this to be untrue. I have such privilege in my paleness, that it’s almost uncomfortable to stand as a POC under a Trump administration. My privilege is that I was never forced to identify as a POC because most of the time, I wasn’t perceived as one, and sometimes I don’t know if I count or if I even have the right to decide how to self-identify. One complication for children of interracial or international backgrounds is the fact that whatever box you check, either on paper or internally, may have real, significant effects on your life. Consequently, the need for this kind of dialogue still exists.

This need, of course, is by no means a consequence of the empowerment of ethnic minorities. It really irks me to hear this argument that’s been circulating around recent polls and columns: the idea that the empowerment of oppressed peoples actually causes rift and disunity in an already flawed system, rather than being the long overdue effect—the refutation against what history has taught us to accept. Buying into the belief that minorities perpetuate prejudice by simply validating their existence as minorities is the Catch 22 of our time. Because nobody believes he or she is the “Bad Guy,” I would bet the majority of white supremacists think they are doing God’s work. And, it’s not that Trump is the first politician (or president, for that matter) to state his distaste towards those unlike himself—people lacking inheritances or namesakes or opinions differing from his own. Trump is just one figure of state who has made it quite clear that his definition of “whiteness” (or rather, “greatness”) is growing narrower—we could write a book on the many instances in which this is true, but I’ll leave it to his cabinet nominees,“alternative facts,” and Google.

The counterargument against my claims would be laughable, if they didn’t have such serious consequences. Maybe I’m in a minority here, but I am of the belief that there’s enough to go around. Enough patriotism, enough care, enough equity, enough ethics. The list of people expressing feelings of discord and injustice grows larger by the day—take for example the recent Women’s March, occurring everywhere from Washington D.C. to Paris to Cape Town to Tokyo. Historically speaking, the intersectionality of these protests is unprecedented. Regardless on where you stand politically, you must admit—these events are statistically impressive. Even if you won’t admit it, it is recorded, documented. Living history.

So, that’s what we’ve got. The rainforests are dwindling, the year is still new, and humanity is cultivating more color than ever before. Thanks for living it, and thanks for reading.

Mystery Exhibit feat. Chemical Properties + Optimism

Unknown maker places mystery art exhibit in hopes of spreading wintry joy, light, chemistry, and optimism to Juilliard students in the midst of finals. Higher authorities still either unaware of The Mystery’s existence or have greater capacity for humor than previously thought.

5th floor, glass case, adjacent to library. Unknown maker places mystery art exhibit in hopes of spreading wintry joy, light, chemistry, and optimism to Juilliard students in the midst of finals. Higher authorities still either unaware of The Mystery’s existence or have greater capacity for humor than previously thought. If in possession of leads or insights, contact Citizen Penguin.
#HangInThereItsAlmostWinterBreak!

Text of the placard:

“Unknown MAKER

Displacement, 2016
Oxygen, nitrogen, various other gases; argon, carbon dioxide, methane
Air collected from outside put inside; hence the title. This is clearly a joke and the placard wonders how long it will stay here until it is removed by higher authority. The real question is, what is this exhibit supposed to be? A REAL MYSTERY

Purchase, The Hang in There It’s Almost Winter Break! Foundation
Gift, 2016”

Dogs! SMR. 4pm.

Monday, December 5, 2016
4-6pm Student Multipurpose Room (105)

PUPPIES IN THE SMR!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, NOT A DRILL.
Drop off your scripts, sonatas, salsa shoes for, like, 10 minutes or 2 hours. Relieve some stress with fluffy cuddles. No homework allowed. The puppies are waiting.

SMRDogs
Monday, December 5, 2016
4-6pm Student Multipurpose Room (105)

PUPPIES IN THE SMR!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, NOT A DRILL.
Drop off your scripts, sonatas, salsa shoes for, like, 10 minutes or 2 hours. Relieve some stress with fluffy cuddles. No homework allowed. The puppies are waiting.

 

But why