Let me set the stage: it’s Jan. 6, and The Reveille staff comes together for a beginning of the semester workshop. Sorting through last semester’s problems served as one major component of the workshop.
One by one, small groups presented their lists of grievances to the staff. And then it happened. One group said it had a problem with our diversity coverage.
The room erupted. People started yelling out their opinions on the subject. Some people stood in their chairs to make their point heard over others. Everyone seemed to have a strong, definite idea of how the newspaper should tackle diversity.
At that point, I intervened, suggesting we begin a committee solely dedicated to dealing with this issue. People agreed, and thus the diversity committee was born.
The committee has met, debated and set goals for the semester. Our primary focus is staff and community education regarding minority issues. Some of the goals are: bring in a panel with various minority representatives to discuss current diversity concerns with our staff, have several staff members Safe Space certified, form focus groups evaluating our content, recruit a more diverse staff throughout the semester and challenge our readers daily with quality content.
This is the first time The Reveille ever has approached an issue in this manner. We want to better communicate what diversity on this campus means, because we know it is more than color. It encompasses our readers’ religion, sexual preference, ethnicity, social class and even background.
On a personal note, I want you to know that The Reveille truly is making a concerted effort to improve its minority coverage. In the past, we have focused on events rather than issues. Instead, we want to use these events to talk about issues. We don’t want to cover every event a minority club has just because it’s a minority club event. Rather, we want to report on events that significantly affect the community.
For example, let’s say the International Student Association wants to host a night promoting Indian student heritage. We would want to focus on why the night is important to the Indian and campus community rather than the dancers who demonstrated traditional dances.
In addition, we want to represent groups who typically are not visible in our pages. We have had a difficult time finding contacts for certain groups, but we’re aggressively seeking out these minorities this semester.
We acknowledge we have a primarily white, heterosexual, Christian, middle-class staff. But this knowledge propels us to work even harder for all minorities to be represented within our pages.
Regardless of what you may have read or not read before, the newspaper has new management, new reporters and fresh attitudes. I encourage you not to discount these efforts because of what may have been published in the past. Our staff is determined to provide accurate and fair coverage for minorities.
You may be saying, “Good for The Reveille. What does this have to do with me?”
The Reveille is YOUR newspaper. Yes, it’s our pride and joy, seeing as we devote our days and nights to producing it. But this newspaper is published for you, the campus community. It’s here to represent and reflect your interests, your views and issues important to you.
If you don’t see yourself reflected in The Reveille’s pages, that’s a problem. I challenge you to contact us. If you have had problems with how we’ve covered minority events in the past, I challenge you to contact us. If you have suggestions to improve our minority coverage, I challenge you to contact us.
We want people outside The Reveille to give input on how we can improve. If this column interests you and you want to know more, I challenge you to respond and get involved. This committee and this newspaper is here to serve you. We encourage you to share in the ownership of these goals and get involved.