Santa Clara Sudents Need to Write to be Heard

Jacob Lans & Tyler BrownTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 29, 2015[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ttending a liberal arts university during a time of immense social progress is certainly a privilege. There are a number of organizations at Santa Clara that attempt to facilitate the difficult conversations that need to take place to continue this progress in the future. But as we learned with the most recent presidential speaker series, controversial conversations can grow ugly and disjointed. Along with keeping safe spaces for the marginalized voices of society, accepting diversity of thought and opinion is an important part of our intellectual diets, yet the two often mix like oil and water. Finding the balance between giving our support and letting our viewpoints be challenged is difficult, but through open expression and creative discourse, we can engage in these intellectual and social pursuits in beautiful and emotionally honest ways.

There are many havens on campus that provide a place to share your voice and opinion. The Multi Cultural Center hosts nine different multi-cultural organizations, all of which provide love and support for the uniqueness of various ethnic backgrounds. The student group College Republicans promotes conservative thought on campus while College Democrats are the nerve for liberal progress.

We can list all of the organizations on campus that promote a particular way of thinking, and what we’d learn is there is an abundance of voices on campus that have important things to say. But the conversations needed to connect individuals are sparse, and a platform is needed to unify all of our ideas. After all, how can we expect to handle diverse viewpoints when every organization is compartmentalized into a niche?

As editors of The Santa Clara Review we support all expressive outlets, but we’d be lying if we didn’t tell you that we have a soft spot for writing. Our fixation on the written word extends beyond a love for the craft; writing and reading are empirically proven methods for increasing empathy and emotional connectedness. Psychologists at the New School for Social Research in New York City released a study in 2013 that explored the different ways in which the written word can help us navigate complex social relationships. In short, reading each other’s writing makes us closer to one another.

To offer a platform for Santa Clara students’ writing, we at The Review are happy to announce the arrival of the Owl, a brand new publication which focuses solely on amplifying the diverse voices of students in creative ways.

We care immensely about the collective creativity of the campus, as well as the individual ways in which each Santa Clara student chooses to express his or herself. Along with the publication of traditional literary material, the Owl will feature work in any medium on a multi-modal platform. This includes everything from essays written in the classroom to narratives of personal experience and even works of socially poignant satire. The mission of the Owl is to present a unified platform for all of the voices at Santa Clara University.

We will always have a desire to connect with one another; this is part of being human. To make the most of your college experience, engage with those around you. We hope to offer you that opportunity as both readers and writers alike.

Jacob Lans is a senior English major and the editor-in-chief of The Review. Tyler Brown is a senior economics major and the associate editor of The Review.