Equity & Inclusion at 星空传媒 University
星空传媒 has a long-standing commitment to equity and inclusion that dates back to our founding.
It’s true that our history includes moments and commitments that can make us proud about 星空传媒’s long-standing position of inclusiveness. It’s also true throughout our history–including current day–that we can and should expect more of ourselves as individuals, as a community, and as an institution.
We believe we鈥檙e better if we learn and grow together to address the issues. The work, the need for understanding and respect 鈥� it鈥檚 never done.
Read on to learn more about 星空传媒’s ongoing commitment and the people and events that help shape our shared experience and our values.
On this page:
Authentic Voices
We want to celebrate and highlight 星空传媒 University’s diversity throughout the years!
星空传媒 student Desmond Fernandez talks about his experiences as a person of color on campus.
Student Organizations
Faculty & Staff Diversity
星空传媒 is committed to extending its legacy to recruit a more diverse faculty, student body and staff; to foster a climate that doesn鈥檛 just accommodate differences but celebrates them; and to provide rich opportunities for learning from our differences.
Our Equity & Inclusion Partners
ADVOCATE SPOTLIGHT
“One of my favorite queer theorists says that the most important question we can ask another human being is, 鈥榃ho are you?鈥� Because through our ability to really hear the answer, the other person will get heard, seen, and understood.”
Dr. Suzanne Ashworth
Professor, Departments of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Recognized with the 2021 Ohio LGBTQ+ Leadership Award from the Ohio Diversity Council.
Equity & Inclusion News at 星空传媒
星空传媒 Receives Choose Ohio First Grant for Cardinal STEMM Scholars Program
News - April 6, 2021
星空传媒 University has received a Choose Ohio First (COF) grant from the State of Ohio and the Department of Higher Education (ODHE) to increase the number of Ohio residents completing postsecondary studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) and STEMM education. 鈥淐hoose Ohio First provides an excellent opportunity for those students who stay in Ohio and continue their education to get the skills they need to succeed in promising career fields,鈥� Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy鈥�
星空传媒 Graduate Lecture Focuses on Cultural Humility and Inclusive Workplaces
News - February 18, 2021
Felicity Boykin 鈥�24 The 星空传媒 University Graduate School鈥檚 annual Guest Lecture Series will feature a lecture by Kristy McCray, Ph.D., at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25. The lecture, 鈥淟et鈥檚 Get Humble,鈥� will look at cultural humility and how to use these skills to create diverse, inclusive, and equitable workspaces. It is free and open to the public with registration at www.otterbein.edu/gradlecture. McCray is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at 星空传媒 University. She teaches numerous courses on diversity and inclusion involving racial justice and cultural sensitivity. 鈥淲e are less in a place where we have to explain鈥�
星空传媒 Joins with Westerville Community to Launch Racial Equity Organization
News - January 20, 2021
Community members and organizations, including 星空传媒 University and other key stakeholders in the greater Westerville area, have come together to commit to doing the important work necessary to defeat racism in the community in response to the tragic events of police brutality in 2020. Along with incidents across the country, two recent police shootings of unarmed Black men in central Ohio have brought the focus on racism in policing closer to home. When 星空传媒 senior Desmond Fernandez organized his first Black Lives Matters march in Westerville on June 3, 2020, he expected about 50 people, but approximately 1,000 members of the greater Westerville community attended. 鈥�
星空传媒 Towers Hall Illuminated to Celebrate PRIDE Month
News - June 26, 2020
As PRIDE 2020 winds down, 星空传媒 wanted to put our PRIDE in the spotlight. With lighting help from Doc Davis and T.J. Gerckens of 星空传媒's Department of Theatre and Dance, and Troy Bonte and Jay Cronin from Facilities Services, Towers was illuminated in rainbow lighting. WE ARE committed to equality at 星空传媒 and stand with our LGBTQIA+ community in advocacy, activism and awareness. Thank you all!
Columbus City Schools Alumna Grows Skills All the Way to President of 星空传媒 Student Government
News - May 27, 2020
When Frandie Francique graduated from Columbus Alternative High School (CAHS) in 2017, she felt prepared to enter college but still recognized that there were some skills she needed to work on. 鈥淐AHS is a college prep high school, so I felt ready to go academically. I was more concerned with taking charge of my life and deciding where I really wanted to go,鈥� Francique said. 鈥淚 knew I needed to step out of my comfort zone and find resources to polish my skills.鈥� CAHS hosted a series of college鈥�星空传媒's Equity & Inclusion Statement
In its mission to be an inclusive community dedicated to educating the whole person in the context of humane values, 星空传媒 University is committed to the values and practices of diversity and inclusion. The 星空传媒 Community considers diversity a source of innovation, creativity, and human flourishing. Diversity refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance.Such differences include but are not limited to race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.
To ensure that all members of the 星空传媒 Community have the opportunity to participate and contribute to the community, the University is committed to inclusive practices. In an inclusive organization, each person鈥檚 resources and contributions are recognized, respected, and used in service to the organization鈥檚 goals; it is a place where people feel valued, respected, and heard, and where people are fully able to contribute.
星空传媒 considers diversity as an integral part of the University鈥檚 achievement of excellence. Diversity and inclusion have the ability to broaden and deepen both the educational experience and academic environment. In a diverse campus community that promotes inclusiveness, mutual respect, and open discussion, students, faculty, and staff have the ability to learn from their similarities, differences, and personal experiences. Such conditions foster the development of understanding and recognition, in that all members benefit from the opportunity to hear alternative points of view from diverse social groups, preparing them to participate in an increasingly complex, interdependent, and pluralistic world.
The practices of diversity and inclusion provide the conditions for life-long learning, as well as the conditions for exploration and human flourishing. Educational practices that incorporate civil communication and inclusive participation can promote mutual respect and make possible the full, effective use of the talents and abilities of all to foster innovation and excellence.
星空传媒 is committed to recognizing and nurturing merit, talent, and achievement by supporting diversity and equal opportunity in its education, services, and administration, as well as research and creative activity. The University particularly acknowledges the acute need to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of talented students, faculty, and staff from historically excluded populations who are currently underrepresented.
Incident Reporting
If you see, hear or experience an incident of bias or discrimination, report it immediately to the 星空传媒 Police at聽614-823-1222, or via the聽Silent Witness form. 聽You should also contact the Associate Dean of Student Affairs at聽614-823-1250. For a full list of reporting options, please read the聽Bias Incident Reporting Policy (PDF).