Binghamton University students were asked to accept Rachel’s Challenge, the message of the first victim of the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, when the program came to the Mandela Room in the Old University Union on April 4.

Rachel’s Challenge travels across the United States to middle schools, high schools, colleges and large businesses to speak about the power of kindness. The challenge was the legacy of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine shooting on April 20, 1999, left in her diary as a young 17-year-old girl. The speaker was Adam Northam, a friend of the Scott family, who introduced the audience to the five challenges. The five challenges were to: eliminate prejudice from your heart, dare to dream, choose positive influences, use kind words and start a chain reaction.

The premise of the program is to promote kindness and change and stop bullying and violence on school campuses.

“I’ve learned to understand the extent of what we don’t know about people, you have to help everyone,” said Northam, who spoke during the presentation on how there are so many students who might just need a friend. A part of Scott’s legacy was that the power of a kind word can go a long way. One of the mottoes of her life was, ‘I won’t be labeled as average.'”

Challenge 3 made students sit up in their chairs.

“The top five influences in our lives today affect our behavior, and because of that they affect everyone around us,” Northam told the audience.

The two Columbine shooters quoted lines from “Natural Born Killers,” whereas Scott’s role model was Anne Frank. When talking about college students during the hour and a half, Northam said, “I ask students, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ and they just say, ‘I want to get to Friday.’ Don’t ever give up on your dreams and your goals; you must have dreams and goals for your future because they give you a purpose and a road map to success.”

Ashley Stewart and Heather Skolnick are two resident assistants who originally came up with the idea to bring Rachel’s Challenge to campus.

“I try to implement this in my residents by talking to them or just giving them a smile,” Stewart said. “This was by choice to come, the students gave it their all.”

When commenting on the five challenges, Skolnick said, “No one is perfect, but everyone can do this.”

The program left a lasting impression for many students.

“If we see anyone sitting alone at dinner time we are just going to go up to them and ask them to sit with us, or at least just smile because maybe just a small smile can start a chain reaction,” said Gabriela Badea, a sophomore majoring in psychology.

“We assume that everyone has friends because it is college but college can be so lonely,” said Emily O’Hearn, a sophomore majoring in graphic design.

The program was sponsored by the Office of Residential Life, the Student Association Programming Board, the Watson School of Engineering, the Social Justice Education committee, the Student Conduct Board, ResLife Faculty Masters, Mountainview College Council and the Student Affairs Graduate Association.