Lindsay Wright prepares the presentation for the ‘Respect the M’ session held on Monday.
The William Winter Institute of Racial Reconciliation and Mulitcultural Affairs continue to work with orientation to provide an effective session on diversity called “Respect the M.”
The “Respect the M” session was introduced last year to educate incoming students on religion, race and gender relations in response to the election incident in 2012.
Jennifer Stollman, academic director at the Winter Institute, said the “Respect the M” orientation session was born out of the idea to figure out how to make The University of Mississippi a more inclusive campus.
“It’s sort of a welcome to the university,” Stollman said. “Here’s the lay of the land, here’s the benefits of coming to The University of Mississippi with respect to diversity.”
Stollman said this session is a way to introduce students and parents to the kind of learning environment their students would be joining in order to introduce the expectations of a college campus.
Stollman also said a lot of people come to school without these expectations, but many people come to the university with anxieties or harboring problematic thinking that can hinder their learning success.
“If you come in with a closed mind about people who are of a different gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity or religion you are actually cutting off a part of your learning experience,” she said.
Stollman said the university is a global society, and as such has certain values and standards that have to be upheld.
During the session participants talk about what the creed is and what it is not.
“The University of Mississippi is not a place to harbor sexism, homophobia, classism, prejudice or racism.” Stollman said. “We expect our students to model our mission and model the values that we hold.”
This year a social media component has been introduced to the session.
Stollman said she wants to make sure that people are using social media wisely, not in a way that promotes the philosophy of inequity.
“People, through either anonymity or not, were using social media to spread some really problematic views about race, class, gender and sexuality,” Stollman said. “We don’t uphold that.”
Stollman said when students going to college for the first time get to experience freedom to its fullest, but one needs to be aware of what that freedom means.
“With that freedom comes a certain amount of responsibility,” Stollman said. “That responsibility includes valuing others.”
There is talk during the session about how the university has a tremendous amount of diversity that makes up its student community, according to Stollman.
Stollman said students need to be aware of how wonderful it is to be living, working and learning with people who come from around the globe. She said what the session promotes is to take advantage of those intellectual highways.
“It’s not only about learning from people who come from different life experiences, but also what kinds of tools do you need to develop, or what kinds of skills and knowledge do you need to possess to work effectively with people who come from across the globe or across the campus,” Stollman said
Associate Dean of Students Valeria Beasley-Ross and the Respect the M team said the foundational pillars of the session include avoiding hateful speech, listening, being inclusive and many more.
The team said this session was created as a campaign to create conversations that focus on inclusion and to send a message about dignity and respect for all.
“The presentation seeks to provide students with a better understanding of the impact of their actions on the university as a whole, on individual members of the institution, and on themselves,” Ross said on behalf of the Respect the M team.
Members of the Respect the M team include Valeria Beasley-Ross, Ty Allushuski, Jennifer Stollman, Carolina Orrego, Donald Cole, Ryan Whittington, EJ Edney and Ryan Upshaw.
Austin Yarber, senior accountancy major, said he thinks it is sad that it has come to the point where the session is necessary, but understands why it is important to include in orientation.
“I think it’s going to be good to educate the incoming freshmen on what’s been going on on campus, how to avoid it and hopefully how to react to it,” Yarber said. “I think it looks good that the university is trying to take proactive steps to try and stop things from happening in the future.”
Yarber said inclusion is a topic that should not only be taught on campus, but also in the household before students even come to campus.
“A lot of these conversations can be held at home, should be and should have been,” Yarber said. “but hopefully this session will cover the rest of those who are a little more immature.”
Stollman said the mandatory attendance of the session is not a punishment; the information presented is vital for the success of the student, as well as the continued success of the university.
“I think the university has made a serious commitment to make people feel welcome,” Stollman said. “What it says is that this university wants to make sure that students who come on to this campus know that they are coming to a safe and productive learning, working and living environment and these are the ways to keep it safe.”
