What has the Ohio University President’s Student Cabinet for Inclusive Excellence done?

In response to the hate-motivated crimes on campus last spring, Ohio University updated its policy on hate crimes. 

The current university statement describes hate-motivated offenses as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. The university reserves the right to discipline an offender up to expulsion, following an investigation. The university encouraged students to report hate-motivated incidents, and the statement says directly that: “The Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility may impose harsher sanctions when behavior is proven to be motivated by hate.”

The establishment of the President’s Student Cabinet for Inclusive Excellence, created near the end of the 2022 spring semester, was one university response to the hate crimes of the spring.

Student Senate President Dayna Shoulders was a founding member of the cabinet. 

Shoulders shared that the purpose of the cabinet was to provide an opportunity for genuine student feedback on the university’s plans, even before the plans were launched. This input allowed the university’s initiatives to reflect the needs and expectations of the student body.

“A lot of students felt like some activities, like the ‘Make Respect Visible’ campaign, weren’t very connected or relevant,” Shoulders said. “They kind of missed the mark on what some students were expecting from the university.”

Shoulders shared that the idea for free tickets to the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” showing on Nov. 11 at the Athena came out of the Student Cabinet for Inclusive Excellence. The cabinet provided a channel for student members to speak directly to university leadership, shared the idea and created a free event that impacted the community in a positive way.

While talking about the Wakanda Forever event, Shoulders said: “I think that’s something that is relevant, that actually gets students to talk about diversity and representation.” 

The cabinet offered insight on constructive ways to initiate conversations about diversity, from a student-focused perspective. 

Maya Meade, a journalism student with minors in political science and womens, gender, and sexuality studies, answered a few questions about the updated university policy.

She also commented on community engagement sparked by the “Make Respect Visible” campaign, sentiments she has seen echoed throughout Athens, both on and off campus. 

“I don’t think anyone feels safer, necessarily,” Meade said. “Just because they say there will be disciplinary action doesn’t mean there will be.” 

However, Meade said that the prevalence of “Make Respect Visible” has served as a reminder of why that campaign was created. She expressed that while it has mostly served to improve the university’s image, it still spreads an important message.

When asked what the university could do to create a more diverse environment that is conducive to learning, Meade said that “one of the first things that should happen is that they should hire more Black educators… Being taught gender, race and class by a white woman didn’t mean anything to me.”

Meade suggested that this could foster opportunities for mentorship between Black professors and students, which is something she said would be constructive in a tangible way.

Meade discussed the benefits of having guest speakers and panels hosted by the university, as well as events that promote dialogue and interpersonal discussion. These seminars have been informative and constructive, but Meade worried that the people who would learn the most from such an experience are not usually interested in attending.

Meade added that Ohio University is not a unique institution when it comes to racism and hate crimes. She said that these acts are committed by people as individuals, and the university cannot control that. Their responsibility is to discipline and maintain a safe environment to learn and live. 

Pushback against the university is important, Meade expressed, because it motivates it to do more. However, she also acknowledged the value of the university doing something, anything, to listen and attempt to spark a change in the culture on campus. 

“But, they still have a ways to go,” Meade said.