Since November, more than 500 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students, faculty and staff put pen to paper and publicly pledged to respect one another’s sexuality, class, philosophy, religion, race and ethnicity.
Dozens of supporters gathered in Reeve Memorial Union on April 5, donning “RESPECT” t-shirts, for a quick snapshot – the culmination of a successful campus awareness campaign stressing diversity and inclusion at UW Oshkosh.
“The participation for this campaign is both exciting and overwhelming,” said Mohammed Bey, advisor for Diversity and Inclusion programs with the Leadership & Involvement staff at Reeve. “Over 575 shirts were picked up by students, faculty and staff throughout the year and have been spotted in classrooms Reeve Union and other areas on campus.”
Bey was hired last fall to increase awareness of the topics surrounding diversity and inclusion on campus and in the community, coordinating organized discussions, programs and events. One of his first initiatives was the RESPECT campaign, which kicked off at the Diversity & Leadership Conference in November 2010.
RESPECT encouraged students, faculty and staff to publicly pledge to respect all aspects of diversity and required participants to sign a pledge card, earning them a t-shirt, wristband and bookmark.
Bey kept in close contact with the more than 500 people who pledged throughout the year and invited them to wear their shirts April 5 for a group photo and sign a RESPECT poster as another public act to support for the cause.
“I’m looking forward to next year’s campaign and have high expectations for greater participation,” Bey said.
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