The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion created a new newsletter, “Luminosity,” to discuss issues affecting marginalized people on campus and in our broader community.
They published their first edition Feb. 10 in a February/March issue introducing their faculty, staff and hopes for the upcoming months. Abbykate Waugh, senior administrative assistant, said the goal is to create a safe center for acceptance which fosters a kindness towards others.
“We want to create space for people to have their voices heard on campus,” Waugh said. “In the future, there will be articles about what we’re reading and what we’re seeing in the news, so we can tie those things back to how they may affect or impact our own community.”
When designing graphics for the newsletter, Waugh said she intended to bring color and beauty to each issue to pique interest and tackle topics in a friendly way. She said more playful images and hues tend to make an issue easier to read and more accessible to a wider audience.
“I knew that we wanted something that looked nice to catch people’s eye. I designed it around stuff that I like to read and ran with it a little bit,” Waugh said. “I wanted it to be Instagram-able, sharable.”
Waugh said bringing an awareness to the everyday realities of marginalized people fosters a new level of empathy in our community and encourages OCU students to think beyond their own experiences.
“I really hope people can recognize themselves and learn something at the same time,” Waugh said.
Dr. Talia Carroll, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said she shares in Waugh’s sentiments and hopes grace and acceptance are what are most reflected in the upcoming editions.
“As we continue to expand what we include, we hope it’ll be a resource for education,” Carroll said. “It is a place to expand perspectives. I’d love for people to look forward to it. “
As a leader, Carroll said her department’s main objective is to create a way for all to feel a deep sense of belonging as part of the campus community. In supporting this mission, the office is taking action in the form of projects to help introduce fresh points of view, beginning with an inclusive language campaign.
“Building relationships with each other is so dependent on language. It’s powerful,” Carroll said. “We want to be responsive and thoughtful about how that might influence others.”
Adamaris Lopez, music theater sophomore, said she is particularly looking forward to this effort, especially in seeing how the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion might tackle the nuance and delicate nature of the subject at hand.
“A lot of times we throw our words away without realizing how impactful they can be and how they inform our actions,” Lopez said. “Not being in the dark about vocabulary or issues means we can invite everyone to the conversation.”
In approaching these topics, Lopez said she hopes to see an honest and open conversation about gender and specifically the language attached to it as a result of practice or habit.
“Language is traditionally gendered, and so many people aren’t sensitive to it,” Lopez said. “I’d love for them to talk about how we can use language to include everyone.”
Lopez said she thinks there are two main reasons why this kind of publication could become an exciting and important part of campus life. While this addition is new, Lopez said its value is inherent because it pushes forth the idea of eager communication within the OCU community.
“It’s great for people who belong to marginalized ground because it helps them to know that they are seen and will be cared for in a place where they should feel safe,” Lopez said.
Lopez said another reason for the publication’s importance is its potential to bring awareness of issues affecting marginalized people to light for students who aren’t marginalized.
The newsletter will be published twice a semester and can be reached via the @okcudiversity handle on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or directly accessed at bit.ly/oculuminosity.
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