If there’s one thing I won’t stand for, it’s a lie. Over the course of the time I spent at Calvin University, the humanities departments that I was a part of saw significant cuts in funding and faculty, with some majors disappearing completely. Yet the messaging from the administration was denial and false positivity. My friends and I felt sad, but also indignant: it was unsettling to see over and over again such a stark disparity between the messaging and the reality.

In response, I made “Remnant,” a mourning space for Calvin University students to post work from Humanities Dept. majors that were cut during the 2021-2022 academic year. The space invited reflection, but also participation. The wall of paper was made up of collected homework assignments from classes that Calvin no longer offered, and students were encouraged to write their thoughts and feelings onto the wall as a form of mourning and collective action.