Your skin color, your height and the way you walk, talk and dress can make you different. Some students who walk around on MSU’s campus every day are hiding who they are — they are afraid of being judged based on the traits that make them unique.
The University Activities Board is aiming to support the diversity of MSU’s student body with a campaign the group started this week.
The #OneLoveMSU campaign began at 9 a.m. Monday when a banner was placed in the main lounge of the Union. The group encouraged students to anonymously write down stereotypes on the banner that they feel have tormented them. In doing that, Multicultural Director of UAB Caroline Poole said it might give students a sense of relief.
Students jotted down words with negative connotations on the banner addressing sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other concepts.
Poole and her group of executive board representatives took students’ opinions into consideration when creating the campaign. Poole said they hope it will show students that UAB cares about what they are facing.
“This year, the committee wanted to have a movement that would support diversity,” said Poole. “We are hoping that through this campaign, students can become more aware and sensitive to the stereotypes, and more accepting to peoples’ differences.”
A well-known UAB supporter, commonly called Tie Dye Thom, believes the campaign can help open many students’ minds and destroy barriers.
“I think the campaign is absolutely awesome, anything that creates awareness about stereotypes and destroys them is amazing,” Tie Dye Thom said. “Bringing the conversation to the forefront allows people to come to terms with who they are in their own minds and become more open about it.”
Overall, the goal of the campaign is to create conversations and bring awareness to stereotypes, Tie Dye Thom said.
“If we can get these 18- to 25 year-old students to understand that talking about barriers will help destroy them, that would be great,” Tie Dye Thom said.
UAB will be meeting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the upper main lounge of the Union to tear apart the banner — an act intended to represent that the campaign was able to break down the walls of stereotypes.
“This campaign is what the students wanted — they want all students on MSU’s campus to feel included,” said Poole.
