On Monday, a storm of sorts hit Duke’s campus. Justin Robinette, a junior and former chair of Duke College Republicans, alleged that his sexuality played a role in his impeachment by the organization’s executive board. Following this statement’s publication, a flood of reactions was unleashed from all angles, and responses poured in from across campus.
News comes and goes, and a lot has happened in the span of a few days: a DSG Judiciary ruling, an administration’s wise decision to let students self-govern and student groups’ own preparations for future action. So far, the bulk of the case has been settled at the institutional level. Indeed, for the sake of the organizations and individuals involved, I hope that the spotlight continues to turn away, allowing them the space to find some peace.
Amid the stress, turmoil and emotionality of Monday’s events, I was reminded of something special: the power of dialogue. A beautiful shift occurred when a few members of Blue Devils United sat down in the same room with members of the board of College Republicans to discuss the situation: each side became more human to the other. Though I had requested to attend as an outside observer, each group came into the impromptu meeting knowing that the stakes were high, and thus, to a certain extent, were geared to either attack or defend. However, in the span of two hours, as the conversation progressed, these feelings were whittled down. At the end, the participants agreed that discussions between the two groups should take place more often, and not just when something major happened. After I left the meeting and continued through my day, I couldn’t help noticing a similar phenomena playing out in a range of interactions, including ones that were less formal: between friends, classmates and peers of differing viewpoints.
During my time at Duke, I have both witnessed the deep power of dialogue and grappled frustratingly with its limitations. Defined simply, “to dialogue” means to talk. But when done well, it is more than just that. The best type of dialogue requires a safe space, an open mind and the trust that stems from recognizing that we are all human—complex, multifaceted and deserving of respect—and, on this campus, we are all Duke students. In the case of several campus controversies, such as the discussion about minority recruitment weekends prompted by One Duke United, and the student anger at the administration’s proposed merger of the Center for Multicultural Affairs and International House, structured dialogue played its role and set a foundation for action. Indeed, I cannot think of a single instance in which giving students a space to express their beliefs and really listen to each other did not help move things along—and, in some cases, change minds.
However, dialogue and the learning that comes from it cannot occur when we jump to a verdict and are too quick to judge. Dialogue cannot occur without participants realizing that, sometimes, we need to talk less and listen a whole lot more. Dialogue cannot occur when we attack people instead of addressing their actions; nor can it occur when we resort to vilifying the “other side,” whether it consists of one person or many. Finally, meaningful dialogue cannot occur when stakeholders refuse to tolerate shades of gray and choose only to see situations in dichotomies of black and white.
In the past few days, I have watched as, out of fear and anger and hurt, members of the Duke community—my community—made all of the above mistakes. We lost much by acting in some of the ways that we did, not least our sense of humanity, respect and levelheadedness. Even worse, we watched as some of our peers suffered as a result of our rash conclusions.
An attempt by the Duke community to sweep the Robinette incident under a rug and forget about it would be a mistake. Although the DSG Judiciary has dismissed Robinette’s case, valuable lessons remain to be learned, and we must continue to process the events and address the larger issues raised by them. It is the responsibility of all of Duke to create a welcoming environment on campus, and we can always have a conversation about ways to do so without attributing it to a single incident. Indeed, in the coming weeks, special attention should be paid to reaffirming the openness of our campus community; ensuring that the LGBT Center remains a safe space for marginalized students, even in the face of national media scrutiny and outside intrusion; and taking steps to ensure that no student is now afraid to come forward when future cases of discrimination or perceived injustice arise.
Additionally, I hope that in the next few weeks, through the conversations and collaborations to follow, we will begin to challenge the notion that Duke students prefer to oversimplify touchy issues rather than to delve into controversy and nuances. I hope that we become more comfortable with making ourselves uncomfortable, and continue to attach faces to experiences unlike our own.
And so, as I prepare to leave Duke, this is my final request: Let this be an opportunity gained, not a lesson wasted.
Ying-Ying Lu is a Trinity senior. This is her final column.
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