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Student Unity Day brings campus together

Student committee collects signatures in support of unity

A University of Arizona student set his heart to unifying all facets of the university in response to crimes prompted by racism and sexism earlier this semester.

After a semester of gaining recognition for his committee, the ASUA Senate granted American literature senior Torrie Arnold his wish.

"I just wanted to bring some positive issues to the problem," Arnold said about his 3-month-old, six-member organization. "I started an organization called Student Unity Day coordinating committee."

His 10-foot long wooden board, painted with multi-colored bodies holding hands in unity while encompassing the globe, stood as the definitive spokesperson.

Standing nearby was Arnold, who spent five hours on the UA Mall in the heat yesterday.

With two black magic markers in hand he asked those passing by to sign the board and even got UA President Peter Likins to sign.

"I did not come out with the knowledge that it was out here," Likins said. "I decided to sign it because I realized it was something that I stood by all my life."

Arnold gathered signatures in support of Student Unity Day - an unofficial event, but something he said will catch on.

Mahon Brown, another committee member, said there is something demanding and unique in a signature.

"One of the things about a signature is you have it in writing," said Brown, a media arts sophomore.

"The Declaration of Independence is in writing, and you see the support people have in that movement," he said, adding that a public display on the Mall is the best way to promote efforts of diversity and equality.

Arnold agreed, adding that it is also a forum where students from all areas of the university will have access to view the board.

"I'm trying to show support for creating something where all organizations can come together because it seems like hate crimes have been getting more attention than the people who are against them," he said.

Arnold said he plans to take the board around campus Wednesday to gather more signatures.

Its first stop tomorrow will be the African American Student Affairs center, he said, adding that he believes his committee can gather as many 10,000 signatures.

Hoping to inform as many university groups, organizations as well as the varying student body, Arnold intends to post the signatures around campus.

"People feel more apart because there is nothing unifying the whole of the university," Arnold said.

Arnold added that he did not only want to reach out to racial and sexual organizations but the greek society as well.

The lack of unity, he said, has a tendency to pin one group against another.

"If there was something to make us a whole these problems may not remain," he said.

Even though physics freshman John Handy said he believes in Arnold's cause, he added that with so many students he is not sure how much of an impact the board will make on the university.

"It looks like a collage of signatures but it probably isn't going to make that big a difference," Handy said.

Sharing the same concern but from a different approach, Clover Chambers, a political science freshman, said she stopped to sign because she, too, shares Arnold's hopes.

"It's usually a whole that makes a good movement, but individual students who sign will get something out of it too," she said, adding that each student is a part of the larger picture.

Brown also said the committee intends to address age discrimination issues in the future to involve the university faculty and staff.

"We just came together for this week's event, but following this we want to build up and become a lot more involved in the university community," Brown said.

Brown added that they would like to reach out to "all people within the UA community because every one is a contributing factor that makes the university what it is today."

Brown said the committee plans to make Student Unity Day an annual event.