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    UM launches creative writing program

    UM launches creative writing program

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    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

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    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

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    Can’t find a parking spot? Here’s why

    Reduce, reuse, recycle with RebelTHON

    Reduce, reuse, recycle with RebelTHON

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    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

    Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

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    Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

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    Ole Miss fails to live up to hype, loses to Bama on the road

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    Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

    Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

    Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

    Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

    Sleepy Cactus introduces game day dinner events 

    Sleepy Cactus introduces game day dinner events 

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    STEM students revive academic journal club

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    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    How an ATV wreck saved my life

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

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    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Press on, Presley

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  • News
    UM launches creative writing program

    UM launches creative writing program

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

    Can’t find a parking spot? Here’s why

    Can’t find a parking spot? Here’s why

    Reduce, reuse, recycle with RebelTHON

    Reduce, reuse, recycle with RebelTHON

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

    Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

    Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

    Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

    Ole Miss fails to live up to hype, loses to Bama on the road

    Ole Miss fails to live up to hype, loses to Bama on the road

  • Arts & Culture
    Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

    Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

    Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

    Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

    Sleepy Cactus introduces game day dinner events 

    Sleepy Cactus introduces game day dinner events 

    STEM students revive academic journal club

    STEM students revive academic journal club

  • Opinion
    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    How an ATV wreck saved my life

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Casual drug use runs rampant across campus

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Press on, Presley

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    K-12 students cheated in falsified tests scandal

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Buzzwords do not equate to change

Briley RakowbyBriley Rakow
October 9, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords in today’s political and social landscape with every company, brand and organization setting up some sort of team or statement that addresses the issues that have been present for decades associated with these topics. This year marks the 60th anniversary of integration at the University of Mississippi, and in looking toward our past, we are also able to see how much work is left to be done to reach an equal and equitable point in our future. 

Diversity is the presence of people of different races, genders, ethnicities, social classes, religions, sexual orientations and other differences between people’s backgrounds. Inclusion focuses on making sure people of diverse backgrounds feel included and welcomed in all spheres, and equity is about promoting justice and fair practices that ensure everyone has access to achieve the same opportunities. The political, social and corporate landscapes are all receiving public pressure to implement DEI committees to ensure the needs of all people are being met, and while many are responding to these calls, it is difficult to say how effectively these committees and their policies are actually being enacted. 

The 2022 Workplace DEI Report by Culture Amp, used by more than 5,000 organizations, revealed that although 84% of respondents believe their company is working toward a more diverse and inclusive workplace, only 34% report having adequate resources to support DEI initiatives. Companies may be performing DEI while not actually creating actionable goals and supporting the ideas of the committees they have put into place. Discussion is progress, but it is not enough. To create a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive landscape, we need to push companies and organizations to do more than say they are making progress and instead show what progress is being made. 

The report Elevating Equity: The Real Story of Equity and Inclusion claims that around 80% of companies are just going through the motions when it comes to DEI. Human resource respondents provided information on what their companies were doing in regards to DEI initiatives and goals, and research showed that 40% of companies view diversity work as a way to mitigate legal and reputational issues. These statistics are not just concerning, but dangerous to our future as a nation. As much as everyone wants to say they support equality, without making steps toward real change within our own organizations, we are counteracting the very things we say we want. The only way to ensure the DEI movement is worthwhile is to hold companies accountable for the work they are claiming to do. 

Even right here at the University of Mississippi, where we have an entire team dedicated to diversity within the campus community, we are never really informed about changes that are made or real data on how DEI initiatives are being implemented on campus. In recent years, it has become clear that transparency within every business and organization is an important step toward ensuring the safety and success of all parties involved, and this same commitment needs to be addressed in the realm of DEI. Students should be equipped with a knowledge of history and an understanding of what actions are being taken to protect them and promote overall inclusion in a university with a complex racial past. As we take the time to celebrate integration at our establishment and the legacy of James Meredith, we must also look toward the future. The work is not nearly done, even six decades later, and it is the duty of each and every person to hold ourselves and each other accountable for creating a social, legal and political environment that is inclusive and equitable for all citizens.

Briley Rakow is an integrated marketing communications major from Lemont, Ill.

In Case You Missed It

Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

1 day ago
Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

1 day ago
Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

1 day ago
UM launches creative writing program

UM launches creative writing program

1 day ago
Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

1 day ago
Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

1 day ago

Buzzwords do not equate to change

Briley RakowbyBriley Rakow
October 9, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords in today’s political and social landscape with every company, brand and organization setting up some sort of team or statement that addresses the issues that have been present for decades associated with these topics. This year marks the 60th anniversary of integration at the University of Mississippi, and in looking toward our past, we are also able to see how much work is left to be done to reach an equal and equitable point in our future. 

Diversity is the presence of people of different races, genders, ethnicities, social classes, religions, sexual orientations and other differences between people’s backgrounds. Inclusion focuses on making sure people of diverse backgrounds feel included and welcomed in all spheres, and equity is about promoting justice and fair practices that ensure everyone has access to achieve the same opportunities. The political, social and corporate landscapes are all receiving public pressure to implement DEI committees to ensure the needs of all people are being met, and while many are responding to these calls, it is difficult to say how effectively these committees and their policies are actually being enacted. 

The 2022 Workplace DEI Report by Culture Amp, used by more than 5,000 organizations, revealed that although 84% of respondents believe their company is working toward a more diverse and inclusive workplace, only 34% report having adequate resources to support DEI initiatives. Companies may be performing DEI while not actually creating actionable goals and supporting the ideas of the committees they have put into place. Discussion is progress, but it is not enough. To create a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive landscape, we need to push companies and organizations to do more than say they are making progress and instead show what progress is being made. 

The report Elevating Equity: The Real Story of Equity and Inclusion claims that around 80% of companies are just going through the motions when it comes to DEI. Human resource respondents provided information on what their companies were doing in regards to DEI initiatives and goals, and research showed that 40% of companies view diversity work as a way to mitigate legal and reputational issues. These statistics are not just concerning, but dangerous to our future as a nation. As much as everyone wants to say they support equality, without making steps toward real change within our own organizations, we are counteracting the very things we say we want. The only way to ensure the DEI movement is worthwhile is to hold companies accountable for the work they are claiming to do. 

Even right here at the University of Mississippi, where we have an entire team dedicated to diversity within the campus community, we are never really informed about changes that are made or real data on how DEI initiatives are being implemented on campus. In recent years, it has become clear that transparency within every business and organization is an important step toward ensuring the safety and success of all parties involved, and this same commitment needs to be addressed in the realm of DEI. Students should be equipped with a knowledge of history and an understanding of what actions are being taken to protect them and promote overall inclusion in a university with a complex racial past. As we take the time to celebrate integration at our establishment and the legacy of James Meredith, we must also look toward the future. The work is not nearly done, even six decades later, and it is the duty of each and every person to hold ourselves and each other accountable for creating a social, legal and political environment that is inclusive and equitable for all citizens.

Briley Rakow is an integrated marketing communications major from Lemont, Ill.

In Case You Missed It

Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

1 day ago
Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

Newbies take over Ole Miss ​Club​ Hockey team

1 day ago
Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

Iris Room passes the mic to local artists

1 day ago
UM launches creative writing program

UM launches creative writing program

1 day ago
Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

Strutting toward success: Career Center Fashion Show comes to campus

1 day ago
Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

1 day ago

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