Appendix A: Avila First Year Students

Students were asked to express their opinions regarding statements related to topics discussed in First Year Seminar both at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester. The idea was to gauge how their opinions changed. The most significant changes occurred with these three questions:

1. I feel educated regarding the civil rights issues and events that occurred in American in the 1950s and 1960s.

2. Power and privilege relate to everyday liberties of Americans.

3. I have a peaceful and nonviolent action to help end civil rights injustices.

Students were also asked to write about the most significant changes and why those changes occurred. Here are some of those responses.

The most significant changes are that I have a better understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and I have an action plan. I now understand the intensity of the movement; I know the participants were often children or students my age. I found it interesting that kids like me could make such a difference. My action plan involves treating others the way I want to be treated just as Carolyn McKinstry suggested. I plan to spread kindness and compassion through my daily activities. I know that my efforts are small but I believe that if everyone makes the same efforts, it will make a big difference. First Year Seminar helped me realize that everyone can make some sort of difference.

My biggest change was Question 6 (“America” means the same to all citizens and people who live here). I changed my answer from “yes” to “no.” The reason I changed this answer is because the foundation of this country is life, liberty, and justice. I feel we are falling away from these principles because of the way different religions and races are treated.

At the beginning of the semester I didn’t have a plan for helping end civil rights injustices. After hearing McKinstry’s words at the Truman Lecture, it motivated me to get something accomplished. Otherwise, we are going to take two steps back after taking a step forward.

After learning about past and current civil rights struggles in the United States, I have a different mindset about civil rights. Before, I thought there was a place for violence on issues related to civil rights. After being exposed to new information, I believe violence must not be tolerated in order to achieve civil rights. I began to realize that violence, whether to prevent or strive for civil rights, was what prohibits progression toward civil rights. The second difference is my plan to end civil rights injustices. Before the class, I had no clue how to end a denial of liberties. Now, I have concluded that coordinated peaceful protests in addition to gathering statistics and visual evidence of injustice will bring attention to the subject and will move us toward a world where everyone can be given civil liberty.

After experiencing this class, I see how far America has come from racism but also how much further we have to go.