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"The program included brief lectures from Jennifer Hyndman, the director at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University in Toronto; Judith Kumin, the former director for the United Nation’s refugee agency in Europe; Alison Mountz, a visiting professor of Canadian studies at Harvard University; and Roman Graf, Middlebury professor of German and comparative literature." --Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs
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The Rohatyn Center panel inspires students to make their voices heard. "If we do nothing [to aid refugees], we distinguish ourselves as an international college without an international conscience," Travis Sanderson argues in a newspaper editorial, citing the action of Middlebury's peers and in the inaction of Middlebury itself. He advocates for the College to admit Syrian refugees as students and to help alleviate the crisis in the region.
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'I argue that bringing even just a few Syrian refugee students here would make a huge difference for the students, for us and for American higher education as a whole," Jeff Holland writes, responding to and expanding on Sanderson's argument. "Most importantly, however, we would be setting an example for colleges and universities all across the United States."
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Collaboratively, Travis Sanderson and Jeff Holland begin a petition called "Go/Refuge" urging Middlebury College to acquiesce to their demands to help refugees. They publish a third editorial; they blanket the campus in posters for the campaign.
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Professor Roman Graf, who previously represented Middlebury at the Rohatyn Center's refugee panel, publicizes his official support for Go/Refuge. He is the first non-student to sign the petition.
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The Middlebury Campus is swamped with supporting articles. Sammy Abdulrahim, in "Syria Through the Eyes of an Arab Jordanian," points to his experience in Jordan as a member of a Palestinian refugee family to argue for higher education's role in relieving the refugee crisis; Sophie Hudson issues "A Call for Empathy" attacking the media's portrayal of Syrian refugees; Rebecca Duras delivers a searing attack on fear and xenophobia that prevents refugee relief in "Standing with Syrians."
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Vermont 2016 gubernatorial candidate and statesman Matt Dunne expresses support for the principles of the movement.
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Travis Sanderson and Jeff Holland bring the arguments of the Go/Refuge petition to Laurie Patton. She promises to bring the suggestions to her senior leadership team.
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Following in other supporters' footsteps, Shaheen Bharwani publishes an article focusing on the Institute of International Education (IIE)'s Syria Consortium. The Consortium is a collection of colleges showing interest in accepting Syrian refugees. Go/Refuge shifted its mission. While the petition had previously remained open to many methods to achieve its goals, Bharwani's focus channeled Go/Refuge toward the Syria Consortium specifically.
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Amnesty and Go/Refuge also begin discussing collaboration.
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"And while debate and discussion on the topic are not only encouraged but necessary," Tatsatom Goncalves concedes in his article on Middlebury's most popular blog, "[but] the impact that Middlebury could have by empowering Syrian youths with the tools to make a better future for their homeland and to their people is definitely an argument to take into account."
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Jeff Holland represents Go/Refuge in meeting Kerstin Wilsch, the Director of the Middlebury School in Jordan, to speak about ways by which the movement could benefit the situation in Jordan. Go/Refuge agrees to fundraise for Wilsch's recommended organization, the Collateral Repair Project.
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"Wonderful effort," the Congressman writes. "I admire your efforts... I endorse Go/Refuge."
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Acquiescing to Go/Refuge's demands, Middlebury College publicly announces its move to join the Institute of International Education's Syria Consortium to provide scholarships to Syrian refugee students.
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Acquiescing to Go/Refuge's demands, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) announces its move to join the Institute of International Education's Syria Consortium to provide scholarships to Syrian refugee students.
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In an article for the millennial voice website SLANT News, Travis Sanderson discusses the actions and successes of Go/Refuge in the context of other efforts and successes both at other American colleges and around the world to help Syrian refugees. He ends in a call for other colleges and universities to follow suit in a comprehensive movement.
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Representatives of both student groups work together on an event which invites refugees and those with substantial experiences in refugeeism from the Middlebury community to tell their stories. Two students, one nurse, one faculty member, and one facilities employee deliver their stories at a community gathering.
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Go/Refuge agrees in a team meeting to work toward becoming an official student organization, although official application is not possible until Fall 2016. They also restructure into three informal committees: events, fundraising, and outreach.
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However, Go/Refuge agrees also to maintain its current focus on the Syrian crisis for the foreseeable future.
