Hawks Pledge To Stand Against Hate
“Hate has no place at Hartwick” “Bigots are cringe”
These were some of the messages that the Hartwick community wrote on paper hand cutouts as part of the “Hawks Against Hate” pledge.
The pledge, spearheaded by Gianna Boveri, health promotion coordinator, and Dani Goncalves, associate director of student engagement, was part of programming aimed to raise awareness of the Bias Education & Response Team (BERT). The pair tabled outside of the Commons for a week, inviting students, faculty and staff to sign the pledge and leave a note to the campus community.
“It was important that students see that BERT is a front-facing organization,” said Boveri. “There’s a lot of distress and anxiety in the community right now and we wanted to give people a space to talk about how they’re feeling.”
A total of 316 people signed the pledge banner, with many also writing an affirmation on one of the hand-shaped notecards the BERT team also had at the table.
“We, the members of the Hartwick community, stand united against hate in all its forms,” read the “Hawks Against Hate” pledge. “Together, we pledge to build a campus where respect, understanding, allyship, and inclusion are not just values but everyday practices. This pledge represents our commitment to fostering a safe, equitable, and supportive environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors.”
“Seeing all those names really made people feel safe and valued. It was a good outlet for them to talk, check in and know that BERT is there as a resource when they need it.”
Dani Goncalves
Associate Director of Student Engagement
