FYS event: Tunnel of Oppression

On Friday, November 18, I went to the Tunnel of Oppression at Davis Complex. I wanted to go to experience what other people said had an impact on them last year. The Tunnel of Oppression actually involved dorm rooms, a dorm hallway and a stairwell. There was a tour guide that read things to us about each of the rooms. The rooms or sections were designed by students and their purpose was to remind people of the suffering some people go through every day. The issues in each of the rooms were relevant to our society today and each was interesting. The first section was the stairwell in which derogatory words were written on a piece of paper; the point was to recognize the impact these words said millions of times a day have on a person. The following rooms and their issues were about racism, the glass ceiling for women, transgender issues, and debt for college students. My favorite was the room about women and the glass ceiling; the glass ceiling was symbolized by clear plastic wrap that was taped to the walls so it was suspended across the room about halfway up the walls. On the ceiling were pictures of things women haven’t achieved, like holding half of the seats in U.S. congress since women are 51% percent of the U.S. population. Under the glass ceiling on the walls were posters that were demeaning to women. One poster said “Women: like a man, only cheaper” and it showed a businesswoman high-fiving a man in the workplace.

The purpose of the Tunnel was achieved with me because it helped remind me that all the issues discussed in the tour were relevant to today’s society, and that everyone should still be conscious of them.