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WC Is First in the Midwest to Adopt Amnesty Resolution on Refugees

Student Group Praised for Efforts at Amnesty International Convention Wilmington College’s five-student delegation walked into Amnesty International’s fall conference in Milwaukee in complete anonymity and left as the toast of the town. PICTURED: WC's Amnesty International chapter members who attended the Midwest conference in Milwaukee are, from the left, Carly Pritchard, president; Karmela White, secretary; Emma Marks, vice president; Shea Mercer, treasurer; and Mike Smith, SGA representative. WC’s Amnesty chapter was the first in the Midwest to secure its college’s endorsement of a resolution on refugees. Impressed and intrigued with the Wilmington chapter’s success, conference leadership asked the group to share with the 200 delegates at the convention how it convinced the College to support the non-binding narrative. “We felt like we were nobodies going into the conference with five students, but people were so interested in learning how we got it passed. They were impressed we were the first college to pass the resolution,” said chapter vice president Emma Marks, a sophomore from York, Pa., whom Amnesty asked to write a national blog post about their successful endeavor. The resolution simply states that Wilmington College, which celebrates diversity as a core value, declares its “support for the resettlement of refugees in southwest Ohio and calls upon other Ohio communities to join them in supporting a stronger national effort to resettle the world’s most vulnerable refugees.” The chapter’s strategy featured securing student support at the College’s signature program, this fall’s 27th annual Westheimer Peace Symposium, whose 2017 theme, “Welcoming the Other,” addressed the refugee issue. Chapter president Carly Pritchard, a senior from Lebanon, Ohio, said the effort included collecting 176 signatures — 10 percent of the student body — in support of the resolution, which they presented to the Student Government Assn. in seeking its support. Also, the chapter-sponsored initiative had 11 co-sponsors, including President Jim Reynolds, two fraternities and a host of the College’s faith-based and multicultural organizations. “We thought this would be a way for the Peace Symposium to not only be about learning, but also about doing,” Pritchard said. “When you look at the percentage, that’s a lot. I think students were looking for a way to get involved.” Marks added that, “This year’s freshman class is really engaged and interested — and that’s really exciting.” The president said the resolution is “congruent” with the College’s core values and culture of inclusion. “Each of these individuals is asking only for a chance to live their best life in a place that provides safety and peace for their families.” Marks is a political science and agriculture communications major with a minor in sustainability, who also serves as the legislative coordinator for Amnesty’s Ohio chapter. She has made human rights a “focus” of her education. “It’s important for people to speak about human rights and it’s important that we as a student body and campus let people know we care,” she added. “Human rights matter and will always matter.” She said Wilmington College’s unexpected prominence at the conference has led to other college chapters reaching out to the WC group as they try and pass similar resolutions, which in turn will provide excellent networking opportunities for future projects. To build upon this momentum on the refugee issue, Pritchard, who is majoring in Spanish, economics and marketing, said a next step is lobbying their elected representatives. While that prospect might cause anxiety for many college students, Pritchard relishes the opportunity as a veteran of numerous lobbying efforts. She learned to lobby as part of the College’s annual program in Washington, D.C., which has become a signature hands-on learning experience for WC students. “The D.C. lobby trip normalized contacting my representatives,” she said. “That’s why I’m not terrified to do that; in fact, it’s almost become part of my everyday life.” Marks noted that her similar lobbying experience at WC inspired her to apply for the state position with Amnesty. “I’m in political science and my goal is to work in Washington, D.C., lobbying on issues I believe in,” she said, noting that her involvements at the College complement her career interests. “I believe these will separate me from other students who haven’t had these types of experiences.” Pritchard, who will graduate in May, recalls being a freshman and one of only three students involved with WC’s Amnesty chapter, which now boasts an active roster of more than a dozen. She said the enthusiasm for Amnesty’s goals expressed by Marks and other younger members has reinvigorated her resolve. “I didn’t initially seek out the hands-on learning we’ve experienced here because, before I came, I didn’t realize what it was or how important it is,” she said, noting she’s excited with learning about career opportunities in human rights/social justice advocacy. “I believe it’s divine providence that I would go to a school that cares about peace and social justice,” she added. “I want to find a career that aligns with all these values I’ve acquired.”