UTM students, faculty and community members gathered between the Boling University Center and Paul Meek Library last Thursday afternoon to tear down the “Writing on the Wall” monument that was constructed as a symbolic barrier between races, genders, cultures and individuals.

The construction of the wall was part of the national “Writing on the Wall Project” and was designed to raise awareness about the words that separate various groups of people. As a key component of Diversity Week at UTM, many feel that the wall achieved its purpose.

“The goal was to raise awareness and cause everyone to talk about the wall,” said SGA President Dusty Dean.” “I believe the wall achieved and far exceeded its original purpose.”

In a speech given at the event, Dean added that this had been a week of multicultural understanding for the campus, and that he believed we were now ready to move past these barriers. “These words are atrocious, heinous and unnerving, yet they are also very real,” said Dean. “The Student Government Association doesn’t sponsor hate, but we do sponsor truth.”

Luther Mercer II, director of the UTM Office of Multicultural Affairs, Sigma Phi Epsilon President John Lankford, and UTM Chancellor Nick Dunagan were also present to give their insight and support for the tearing down of the wall ceremony.

“This wall is what burdens the hearts of men today, and the only way to move past these words is to confront them,” said Mercer in an address to the crowd. Chancellor Dunagan added that the wall was about the human condition and the things we do to keep each other from living in a state of harmony “I hope that when the wall comes down, people will think about interaction and communication,” said Dunagan. “A single event can’t change anything, but it’s a start.”

When members of the crowd began gathering to physically pull the wall down as a representation of breaking through hate barriers, some were not so eager to help in an event they viewed as disrespectful and distasteful.

When asked what he would say to people on campus who strongly disagree with the project, Sigma Phi Epsilon President John Lankford said, “We are all entitled to our opinion, but I’m glad that we were able to bring this out in the open. I would like to have seen more student involvement, but other than that I wouldn’t have changed anything.”

With one mighty tug from supporters the wall came crashing down, leaving most with a sense that the first step had been taken to bridge gaps of hatred that have plagued our society for years. However, the general sentiment among a few protestors was that only more gaps had been created and old wounds had been made fresh again.

A meeting will be held on Nov. 17 to discuss the importance of the wall, as well as, the controversy that surrounded it. The Writing on the Wall Project began in 2001 at the University of Utah and has since spread to many other campuses across the country.