“Life is inherently risky.
There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.”
~ Denis Waitley
I think campus is always a neat place to be in fall. This year feels different somehow, reserved, quiet. I leave work around 6p, and there are tons of students still around. That in itself is unusual, but something I also notice is how smile-less most of them are. They don’t look sour, or angry. If I had to put a label on it I’d say they look worried. UK’s President Capilouto issued, yet again, a letter in response to the current federal administration’s action, in this case the repeal of DACA, or the Dreamer’s Act. I’ve lost count the number of times since February that our university has had to send out a letter to faculty, staff, and students because of some federal atrocity. We have to publicly tell our colleagues who aren’t white that they are welcome. We have to publicly tell students who are foreign and not white that they are welcome. I’m glad UK’s President offers such assurances, but I’d be happier if we lived in a world where the content of a person’s character mattered more than the color of their skin (to paraphrase Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) or where they’re from. Every time I get sad about this reality I look around and see all kinds of love and goodness among UK’s diverse population and I feel a fire of hope, even among the folks that no longer smile.
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