Pictured above: (From left to right) Coordinator for Leadership and Student Organizations Abigail Bradley-Tyler, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jake Diaz and Director of the Wellness Center and Student Accessibility Services Anita Saghal stand beside USF St. Petersburg’s Peace Pole.
Courtesy of Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
By Molly Ryan
As tensions continue to rise in Ukraine due to its ongoing war with Russia, University of South Florida students, faculty and staff took a moment of silence to observe and recognize those impacted by the conflict.
The event took place at 9 a.m. on March 8 at the St. Petersburg campus’ Peace Pole outside of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library.
Prior to the moment of silence led by Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jake Diaz, attendees were encouraged to engage in open discourse about the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
According to Diaz, the goal of the event was “to try to offer a space where people could slow down and be with themselves to try to reflect on what’s happening [in Ukraine].”
Abigail Bradley-Tyler, coordinator for Leadership and Student Organizations and an organizer of the event, emphasized the event’s objective in bringing people together.
“I think [the event] is a chance for everyone to come together and remember that we are one community,” Bradley-Tyler said. “While the university may not be directly impacted by what is going on [in Ukraine], we are indirectly impacted by a conflict like this.”
St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock also gave a speech highlighting the campus’ dedication to tolerance in the community and beyond.
Tadlock drew upon the importance of having places like the Peace Pole on campus to “recognize the power of our shared humanity.” Bradley-Tyler also emphasized the Peace Pole’s significance “as a location on campus to come and reflect on life and what’s going on around the world.”
Originating in Japan after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Peace Pole Project now has poles in several countries to remind those of its message: “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
Before Diaz led the 30-second moment of silence, Tadlock urged both students and faculty impacted in any way by the conflict in Ukraine to utilize support systems — like the Wellness Center and the Employee Assistance Program — offered on campus.
“It was special to lead the moment of silence in light of everything that’s happening right now, not just in Ukraine, but everywhere in the world,” Diaz said.
Freshman political science major, Taylor Herman, found the event significant because “it’s important for students to be aware of what’s happening in the world and how our voices may potentially impact what’s happening.”
For Herman, the event was also relevant as she works under St. Petersburg professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan on joint research with the Free International University of Moldova — a university in the country’s capital, Chișinău, less than 100 miles from the Ukrainian border.
“I feel that often times with how we use social media, we get desensitized to truly impactful and influential events — like the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine right now — so it’s important for us to stay aware and stay sensitive yet involved in what’s going on there,” Herman said.
Outgoing Lieutenant Governor Eran Fruehauf also encouraged students and future leaders on campus to engage in events like the moment of silence that encourage discussion and reflection of current events in the community and around the world.
“Student Government and other student organizations are a part of civil society, and as such, events like these are important because it is here where discussions, demands, or agendas are made to our government,” Fruehauf said. “It gives us a chance to provide a safe space for dialogue and connection.”
