SLUdents speak up
Students from Saint Louis University share their opinions about the most pressing issues in their area
Whether they have lived here forever, or only for a short year, Saint Louis University students hold opinions on the areas around them. When asked about their thoughts they had a lot to say, but one common theme hangs around the heads of the students: racial inequality.
Bekah Truss, senior
Nashville, Tennessee
Majors: philosophy and American studies
Minor: urban poverty
Last year, Bekah Truss’ American studies class walked from Saint Louis University to Harris Stowe University. Truss explained that during this walk, she leaned about the land differences and inequalities between the two universities, with SLU gaining the biggest benefits. She also mentioned that this experience brought focus to larger factors in Saint Louis, such as geography issues related to race, class division, and redlining. In order to gain progress, Truss is interested in seeing more community programs to serve vulnerable populations. She says that noticing more racially diverse communities, workplaces, and activities would be evidence of this progress.
Maurice Miller- Elder, junior
Columbia, Maryland
Major: sports business
Minor: entrepreneurship
When discussing Saint Louis issues, Maurice Miller- Elder explained he saw a lot of similarities between Saint Louis and Baltimore, a city close to his hometown of Columbia, Maryland. He was able to connect problems between the two cities like systematic racism and redlining. Miller- Elder analyzed the ways that redlining can cause inadequate approaches to life by limiting access to groceries stores, parks, and other amenities or necessities of the city. Miller- Elder questions what progress would look like in relation to these complex problems but he’s a strong believer that in general, unequal ideology harms progress.
Karina Konshin, junior
Libertyville, Illinois
Majors: healthcare management and public health- pre law
With strong enthusiasm, Karina Konshin explained that public school systems in Saint Louis are cause for concern. As a member of SLU’s Overground Railroad reading program, Konshin has witnessed the problems among students first-hand while traveling to public schools around the area. Konshin described the infrastructural concerns that Black Americans experienced while involved in the public school system, like the lack of upkeep in neighborhoods, which has decreased value in neighborhoods. In order to combat these problems, Konshin urges for more programs to provide for the people impacted by these failing school systems. She believes that an increase in graduation and retention rates would show the progress that could be made.
Sophie Thibault, senior
Indianapolis, Indiana
Majors: political science and theology
Minor: history
As a campus housing resident, Sophie Thibault chose to draw more on the issues occurring on Saint Louis University’s campus, like racial discrimination and crime rates. With several SLU ALERTS coming through weekly, it is apparent that these issues hit students close to home. Thibault explained that on September 6th, there was two cars broke into while in university lots and multiple assaults on campus in the past. She thinks that having access to more equitable resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion training in schools and workplaces will lead to progress and less fear on campus.
Elisa Beyer, sophomore
Kansas City, Kansas
Major: psychology
Minor: philosophy
The prompt of Saint Louis brings up the ideas of crime, police abuse, education, and the vast unhoused population to Elisa Beyer. She acknowledges that mental illness among unhoused Saint Louisians amplifies a lot of already exisiting problems when these people are left with little to no resources. To combat some of these conflicts, better government funding should be an option to improving the quality of life leading to less fear, assault, and drug usage.
