The Poster That Asked The Right Question

A poster taped on the AUBG campus walls might not seem so extraordinary, considering how many of them are put up and taken down each day. In the middle of all the posters, a new, different poster appeared after Spring Break. It lists 5 reasons why we speak English at AUBG, and is concluded by a question – “So, what’s your reason for speaking English?”

 

For Maha Afif, a senior student at AUBG and Student Assistant to the Office of Disability and Inclusion, this poster was more than just paper and ink - it was the first step toward a much-needed conversation about diversity, inclusion, and belonging on campus. It marked the launch of what would become the English For All campaign, an initiative for fostering a more inclusive environment at AUBG.

 

 

During winter break, Afif decided to draft a document of a diversity assessment framework and present it to the university’s Administration and Leadership. In her words, the document outlines specific metrics to evaluate how well AUBG is doing in terms of diversity and inclusion.

 

“We need to make the campus better. I drafted, based on the framework, steps that we can take to make the campus more welcoming and inclusive. We're not just trying to see what's wrong, but we want to fix what's wrong,” she adds.

 

At a university that prides itself on diversity, such as AUBG, the language we choose to speak can either bring people closer together or set them apart.

 

Recently, a problem has been occurring often - English is not being used as a common language in campus areas. Have you ever tried to be part of a conversation but felt excluded because you’re the only person who does not speak the same language as the rest of the group?

 

The poster, now visible in classrooms, study areas, campus cafés, and other common spaces, is a small but essential part of the campaign — a reminder to both students and professors that, despite our diverse backgrounds and cultures, we share a common responsibility to foster inclusion.

 

As Afif and the leadership team were talking more about this, she said that they noticed another emerging problem. “It's not just a student-to-student thing. It's also professor-to-student. It's a problem that we have in classes. I've heard so many instances where professors are resorting to Bulgarian in class when they can't find the word, or they're basically just addressing the entire class as purely Bulgarians, which is beyond unfair,” she says.

 

Afif recalls this being an issue since freshman year. “You have to keep reminding people that there are some things that we should avoid doing, especially when we're around a mix of people. It doesn't matter where they're from”, she says, while talking about English not being used in common campus areas.

 

While on the topic, she also gives us some food for thought. “Isn't it nice to go out of what you're used to and really practice English? If anything, practicing it more really makes you fluent. I noticed that since my freshman year, my English got so much better.”

 

When it comes to continuing English For All, Afif is positive. She has even drafted a few next steps that she would work on if she had the opportunity after graduating. One of them is adding a written rule in the students' handbook stating that English is the official language at AUBG. Currently, such a rule is not introduced, even though it might be implied in the name of the institution.

 

“Implied is not enough in this scenario. I don't want there to be even one case where a professor is going to say, well, it's not written anywhere, so no,” Afif said. For her, it is important to have the rule written down because only in this way would professors be obliged to use English exclusively.

 

Another measure that she would try to include is teaching the cafe ladies and the canteen staff English through classes at the English Language Institute (ELI). That would diminish the language barrier between them and international students.

 

But for now, having only the posters on campus has provoked students’ reactions. According to Afif, there was no negative response.

 

“It was funny for them that something so, again, obvious had to be done because that's how serious it is,” she said.

 

Experience of students confirms that. Mira Petrova, a sophomore, shared that a professor talked to her in Bulgarian in the classroom after she missed an exam due to health issues.

 

“[He asked] how I was doing, to check, because I was sick, just out of a good, but I felt uncomfortable, because I could be cheating,” she said.

 

When Petrova was on the exam afterwards, she went to ask the professor a question in English. He replied in Bulgarian.

 

“But that just seems unfair to me. Even if students aren't listening, they don't know what he's saying. He could be saying even the answers to me, especially because I asked in English and he replies in Bulgarian,” she said.

 

She also witnessed exclusion by students. During discussions around group projects, she could see the facial expressions of her classmates who did not understand because the others used Bulgarian at 80-90% and only included filler words in English.

 

Natalia Ymeraj, a junior, believes that the problem with language use at AUBG is more complex than it seems and even relates to people’s relationships.

 

“For some people, if you don't speak your language, you know, the language that you are from, that shows you some sort of belonging to the ethnic group, they might even get offended. So, you're in the middle of a situation to offend my listener or the person I'm greeting,” she said.

 

She suggests that if people use their language, they need to provide translation to include

those who need it.

 

Not relying on your language but on English is a key step to improving your skills. According to Afif, a lot of people do not understand that speaking in English does not benefit only others but also themselves. It makes you a global citizen.

 

“Being international does not mean coming from another country besides the one you're in. It can also just mean being international in the way you think, the way you speak, the way you interact with people,” she said.

 

Petrova and Ymeraj both have improved their language skills, especially through the academic assignments.

 

Except for that, Afif encourages the student body to be more proactive. She reminds that the administration has a lot of workload to deal with, so they need the students to come with solutions, not only complaints. She shares a message:

 

“I don't think it's a bad idea for any student who has any kind of initiative to make this place more inclusive, more welcoming, more respectful towards other cultures, religions, hobbies, whatever it is, they should really just come and pitch their idea. There's nothing to be scared of. The worst you're going to get is a no, and it's not going to be a no against you.”

 

This article has been written by Dua Zhjeqi and Maria Hristova, AUBG students. It is part of the collaboration between AUBG Daily and the Newsroom course led by Prof. Laura Kelly.