Nearly 40 people gathered for Dialogue for Peace, a panel discussion about peace on campus and in the Middle East hosted by Bobcats for Israel, which led to six audience members to leave, including Student Senate President Megan Marzec.
The event took place in Ellis Hall on Tuesday. Panelists included Becky Sebo, a senior dance major and the president of Bobcats for Israel; Tyler Barton, representing the Athens Coalition for Palestine; Hashim Pashtun, vice president of Graduate Student Senate; Evan Young, campus minister at United Campus Ministries; and Bernhard Debatin, a professor of journalism and director of the journalism Honors Tutorial College program.
Sebo’s brother, David, is asst. design editor at The Post.
The panel was moderated by John Schmieding from Athens Area Mediation Services.
This conflict was brought to light on campus after Marzec was challenged to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but instead poured a bucket of “blood” (a mixture of red paint, tomato juice and water) over her head while urging the university to divest from Israel.
Later, at the Sept. 10 Student Senate meeting, four students, including Sebo, Maxwell Peltz, Gabriel Sirkin and Jonah Yulish were arrested for disturbing a lawful meeting.
“In order for there to be real peace, there has to be real dialogue, real understanding, there has to be a community that welcomes and makes space for all views at the table,” Young said.
The panel discussion began with talks about whether or not the panelists felt that the campus became divided over this issue and whether or not they felt like safety is an issue on campus.
“I feel safe walking around campus now, but at the beginning of the year I wasn’t so sure about that,” Sebo said. “I don’t feel that supported by the administration, but I do feel support from the community.”
“What I’m more interested in is the objective reality of ‘are people safe?’ ” Barton said. “For example, what Megan Marzec experienced after the video was published. How many students have ever been called in to Cutler Hall to talk to the police and the Department of Homeland Security? … How many people are concerned about doing this panel or coming to this event because they’re afraid?”
Later, the topics switched to a discussion about language being used when discussing the conflicts, including how the words “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” can be offensive.
“I think people in Gaza are being oppressed by the Hamas,” Sebo responded. At this time, three people left the discussion room with high tensions.
“I’m going to change the topic, because this was about having a conversation even if our beliefs are different,” she said. “Is everyone here willing to listen?”
Later on in the discussion, as the panelists continued about beliefs, three more people left, including Marzec.
Still, the underlying message of the discussion was to have a conversation about peace between diverse groups.
“Diversity itself is a division but there’s some beauty to it,” Pashtun said. “There’s a difference between controversy and conflict … Peace can never be attained by being offensive.”
@kruseco
sk139011@ohio.edu
