The Student Government Association’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roundtable took place at the Great Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roundtable is a monthly initiative organized by the SGA to implement inclusive and equitable changes on campus.
BreAuna Shaw, SGA Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, revealed more details about the program.
“Our goal for this first meeting and for these roundtable talks as a whole is to bring the campus community together,” Shaw said. “Our campus is made up of so many diverse voices and perspectives. Their ideas and collaboration could pave the way for a more inclusive and fair campus.”
While roundtables are student led, faculty are also invited to attend in order to observe the discussions and make their own contributions. President Evans will attend the next roundtable in October to meet with students and learn about their ideas for campus improvements.
“It is important that all kinds of representatives from different parts of the campus community show up to the roundtable to make their voices heard,” Shaw said.
Angeli Pena, junior Acting major, is excited about this new initiative. “I love that the roundtable is actually circular: it encourages people who may not know each other to sit next to each other or across from each other,” Pena said. “It is a safe environment to discuss new ideas and taboo topics.”
“In the future, I hope that there will be more leaders from sororities, fraternities, clubs, and other organizations around campus so that our action can be sustainable and applicable to the entire OCU community,” Pena said.
If students are unable to attend the roundtable discussions, they can fill out the form on SGA’s Instagram @ocusga with their ideas.
“I am so thrilled to begin this new initiative,” Shaw said. “It is happening at an interesting time in terms of the pandemic, and I am excited to see how students come together to create lasting and impactful change.”
Leave a Reply