A HEALING PRAYER

K-College students address campus tensions with inspirational speaker

Kalamazoo Gazette

Wednesday, April 26, 2000

By Carrie Wolanin

Men and women students at Kalamazoo College apologized to each other Tuesday night.

In a prayer of atonement led by inspirational speaker and author Marianne Williamson, they apologized both for offenses committed personally and collectively by one sex toward the other.

Williamson, a Detroit-area minister, is author of spiritual bestsellers "Illuminata" and "The Healing of America" and has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other television talk shows.  She recently formed an alliance with other religious leaders that attempts to bring together people of differing religious backgrounds for dialogue and action on social justice issues.

Her appearance at the college's Stetson Chapel came in part as a response by members of the college community to the need to heal the campus after the murder and suicide that occurred last October when junior Neenef Odah shot and killed sophomore Margaret Wardle before turning the gun on himself in a college residence hall.

The incident has been recognized by the college as an act of violence against women, and tension over the murder and its aftershocks continues to resonate on campus.  The murder and suicide came only a year after a racially motivated arson sent shockwaves throughout the entire student body. 

"I see a lot of separation.  Our campus is fragmented, and the murder-suicide is a symptom of that, a violent symptom," Women's Athletic Director, Jeanne Hess said.  "And there's still a lot of anger and tension.  We're stuck and we don't know how to take the next step.  Everybody's at a different place." 

Williamson encouraged students and faculty to find a deeper spiritual place from which to begin the discussion, emphasizing nonviolence.  Several students mentioned their desire to meet in small groups to begin talking, from that place, about the state of the campus.

The greatest honor to the memories of Wardle and Odah, Williamson said, was the reconciliation of the campus community and peace within it.

"I'm sure many of you have said that you won't ever forget about this for the rest of your lives," she said.  "And you're right.  You won't."

"When something occurred like what happened here on this campus, something went deeply, spiritually wrong," she said.  "But the closer you've come to the problem, the closer your own mind brings you to your own solution."

Blame, Williamson said, is divisive.

"If somebody demonizing somebody is the problem, how can somebody demonizing somebody be the solution?"

After addressing the spiritual aspects of healing and nonviolence and leading the crowded chapel in prayer, Williamson opened the floor for questions and comments.

"This campus as a campus of adults needs to take steps toward more empathy and more understanding," sophomore Jason Wright said.  "I think it's important that we divide anger and hate."

Students say they were struck by Williamson's words and by the prayer she led.  Senior Kristy Simpson said Willliamson's focus on healing was thought-provoking.

"You have to be in a mindset to heal yourself before you can heal others," Simpson said.

"I know a lot of people on this campus that, if they sat down and listened with their hearts, would find out that a lot of people are feeling the same way."

Hess, along with psychology professor Karyn Boatwright and senior Jeff Marinucci, organized Williamson's visit, securing funding from a variety of student groups and college departments.

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