Culture and Identity Centers | Photo by Kelsie Tomlinson | The Wright State Guardian
Discussions are underway at Wright State University (WSU) to start a campaign called the “no-hate campaign” that will combat discrimination and injustices on campus.
No-hate campaign
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Dr. Matthew Chaney introduced this campaign at the December faculty senate meeting in 2021 after an incident of racial injustice occurred on Nov. 27, 2021, according to a statement from the Black Student Union (BSU).
This campaign came from WSU as a response to biased incidents on campus according to Dean of Students, Chris Taylor.
“The goal was to address some issues that have arisen on campus regarding race and other possible bias,” Taylor said.
Taylor said that this campaign is meant to educate students and faculty on biases to make a more welcoming environment for students and to create a sense of community.
“Probably not everybody feels welcome, anywhere any given day,” Taylor said. “But we want to make sure that [students] here, the [workers] here feel as welcome as possible.”
What groups would like to see from Wright State
The same statement from BSU released on Dec. 8, 2021, stated that the group is working with the university to implement changes in the university.
The statement discusses subjects like addressing microaggressions and implementing bias training for incoming students.
Leaders of other organizations have also voiced what they would like to see from the university. Director of the Women’s Center at WSU, Dr. Nicole Carter, stated that any campaign that is designed for this purpose will benefit the university.
In specific regards to the no-hate campaign itself, Dr. Carter had three things she would like to see from the program.
Dr. Carter said that the name of this campaign is highly similar to the “No H8” program that is specifically designed to combat violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
Dr. Carter also mentioned that she wanted to see this campaign work with other organizations that are in place to combat injustice and discrimination such as bias incident response team (BIRT) committee and the Racial Equity Task Force. The BIRT committee is also overseen by Chaney, according to Taylor.
Dr. Carter said that she would also like to see this campaign cover all minority groups including women and the LGBTQ+ community.
The No-Hate campaign is still under development, and more information is expected to be released later in the spring semester.
