Dear Catalyst Community,
I was saddened to learn about the conflict that erupted this weekend in the Electronic Music Production school between first-year students. Bullying of any kind is not in alignment with our values at Catalyst, least of all bullying done in such a public way. That the conflict additionally included brazenly racist remarks, is what has prompted me to address the whole school, to set the tone for what sort of community we are building and what sort of learning environment we strive to cultivate for all students.
Our Code of Conduct states clearly that students, faculty, and staff will refrain from "harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability." That baseline of respect needs to be stated again and again as a centrepiece of how we agree to be together in shared space.
Conflict is something normal and expected in a learning and creative environment that is as diverse as ours. There is an abundance of possibilities to misunderstand each other, activate our fears and insecurities, stumble unintentionally over boundaries, and to do profound harm. We can easily point to our policies, such as the Code of Conduct, throw the book at each other, and escalate without end.
Or we can pause, reflect, and come up with strategies that facilitate building a community that centres restorative justice. The activist adrienne maree brown has this to say on the matter in her book "Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good":
For our community to grow and flourish sustainably, we must reject hostility and hatred in all its forms, what Brown calls "being in our dignity" but without rejecting the person, remembering that there is "enough attention, care, resource, and connection for all of us to access belonging."“Liberated relationships are one of the ways we actually create abundant justice, the understanding that there is enough attention, care, resource, and connection for all of us to access belonging, to be in our dignity, and to be safe in community.”― adrienne maree brown
As we proceed with investigating this issue further, have challenging conversations with those that need to be held to account, and we make potentially very difficult decisions, we will lead with the guiding principles mentioned above. In the meantime, I ask that we all hold each other with tenderness, vulnerability, and grace.
Sincerely,
Aurelie
Student Support