2021-2022 Campus Y Co-President Q&A

2021-2022 Campus Y Co-President Q&A

March 29, 2021 • Erin Reitz • No Comments

In March 2021, Patrice McGloin and Montia Daniels were elected as the 2021-2022 Campus Y Co-Presidents with their platform titled “Our voices will not be silenced.”

Meet Daniels and McGloin and learn more about their plans and hopes for the upcoming year in the Q&A below

Why were you interested in running for Co-President? How does it feel to be named the 2021-2022 Campus Y Co-Presidents?

Montia: I was interested in being Campus Y Co-President because of my experiences at UNC that have been a result of my identity as a Black, queer woman. Two of my first memorable experiences at UNC were inhaling pepper spray at the Silent Sam protest and watching students get in legal battles with police after it came down. I realized quickly that UNC was set on protecting the institution rather than the students, but in my first experiences at the Campus Y, I felt like the Y put people first. I became drawn to the Y because of this, and the community I found led me to stay active in it.

I’m drawn to the Co-President position because I know how it feels to be unprotected by the university, the police, and the Carolina community. I want to help create a community where we protect each other and continue to put people first.

When we first found out we would be the Campus Y Co-Presidents, we were both excited and also nervous. I still carry some of that nervousness because as Black women, being in a visible position on campus can be a vulnerability. I’m excited and honored however that I can contribute to the work of the amazing and dedicated activists inside of and outside of the Y.

What does the Campus Y mean to you? And to Carolina?

The Campus Y is an essential part of our community and the social justice hub on our campus. It’s known as the heart of our campus, but the heart of our campus is only as great as the members that keep it beating. The Campus Y is a place where people can find community with each other, especially in the past year where we have not been able to meet in person. The Y, for us, is also a place of community, and it’s a place where we have felt supported and welcomed. To Carolina, the Y is a space that works toward a more equitable community. It’s a space that the Carolina community can go to feel safe and supported when other spaces aren’t as welcoming.

Can you give a short summary of your platform?

Our platform is centralized around community. We aim to promote transparency, so the Campus Y and the greater Carolina community can hold us accountable. We strive to create a more sustainable Y so that communities can continue to use the space and the wealth of knowledge passed down within it. The Campus Y community has fostered resiliency throughout the last year, and now, we want to focus on healing the collective trauma that many of us have faced from the struggles of living in a pandemic and from the violation of the Campus Y itself.

We’re also committed to anti-racist work, dismantling the hierarchical structure of the Y, and building a coalition and community across campus. What’s unique about our platform is that the community is centralized in it along with healing-centered engagement and dismantling hierarchies. These goals are in response to this particular moment in time, when we plan to focus on healing within ourselves and communities through creating a more equitable Y in its structure and form.

What will the first few months of your Co-Presidency look like?

The first months of our Co-Presidency will look like building our Executive Board community, meeting with other community members, and engaging in spaces committed to healing. During our first months, we will be learning how to navigate and thrive in this new position. We will be listening to and leaning on our communities. These first few months will also set the stage for our co-presidency as we begin the implementation of the vision in our platform through collaborating with other campus or Chapel Hill-Carrboro community organizations, beginning our new projects, and finding ways where we can bring the Campus Y community together.

What are you most excited about?

We are most excited about being in a community with incredible and dedicated people who aim to make the Y and Carolina a more equitable place. We are excited that we get to do this work and take on these challenges together and with the advice and help of Campus Y staff and the co-presidents that came before us. We are excited to begin this journey that we’re sure will be difficult at times but also rewarding.

And what challenges are you anticipating in the coming year?

The biggest challenge this upcoming year will be rebuilding the Campus Y community and also beginning the healing process. It has been a traumatic year where many of us have experienced collective trauma from the pandemic. Focusing on healing will be one of our biggest challenges. We also anticipate that potentially beginning in-person instruction in the fall will be a challenge for the Campus Y community. We are concerned about ways that we can keep our campus safe, and we know that the people on the frontlines like CDS staff, janitorial staff, and other frontline workers will be at a greater risk of getting COVID-19. So, one of our challenges is how do we keep each other safe during that process.

Anything else you want the Campus Y community to know about you / your vision? Any ways they can support / get in touch?

We are committed to being transparent, listening, and getting feedback from the Campus Y community, as well as the Carolina community. If there is anything we can do to support you, the Campus Y community, or the greater campus community, please contact us at campus.unc@gmail.com.