After reading the editorial that appeared in Tuesday’s edition of your newspaper, we as the One Mizzou Task Force feel upset and hurt at the misinformation and untruths presented as facts in the piece. This letter will serve to correct some of those mistakes.
One Mizzou has taken a very methodical and deliberate approach to achieving the goal of making MU a more inclusive, culturally competent, and accepting campus. Although One Mizzou has not held any events of its own as of yet, it has been active and has been addressing the more foundational issues, such as structure, funding, collaborations and communication needed to make One Mizzou’s presence on this campus lasting. In short, One Mizzou was never indented to be a programming committee – at least not yet.
In regards to being transparent, the One Mizzou Task Force has launched onemizzou.missouri.edu. This website is a great resource for any member of the Mizzou community to learn about diversity-themed events, requesting a presentation on One Mizzou to a FIG or organization, organizations students can get involved in and others.
It is true that Athletics is active and decidedly aggressive in their marketing and campaigning and part of that campaign includes the slogan ‘One Mizzou.’ However, the Task Force is working with the Athletic Department to collaborate on the best use of the mark and slogan. For example, the “We are One Mizzou” poster created for Black History Month. Our relationship with Athletics reaches beyond Black History Month with plans to continue dialogue to learn how we can help each other in our respective causes. We are excited for the relationship we are cultivating with Athletics.
To further recognize Black History Month, One Mizzou launched the “We Are Black History” campaign to emphasize the differences in our communities and how we can work to accept them. It stood as a reminder to students that we are all members of a larger community affected by small acts that happen on campus daily. Students who submitted photographs and allowed various member of One Mizzou to take their photo knew this cause and believed in it.
Finally, the allegations that MSA President Xavier Billingsley has not attended meetings or that the One Mizzou Task Force has not met is simply not true. One Mizzou meets weekly and Billingsley attends almost every meeting. Internal communications efforts within the Maneater must be strained because Org News Editor Kelly Olejnik knows that One Mizzou meets every week. Further, Special Projects writer Tony Puricelli attended meetings under the pretense of writing a story that never came.
So, here’s the situation we’re facing: our MU family is comprised of more than 33,000 students from every county in the state, every state in the country, and more than 100 countries worldwide. Furthermore, our students range in age from 18 – 80, hailing from rural to metropolitan areas, from financially wealthy to financially poor upbringings, representing many religions, ideologies, colors, and cultures. The question is, “How do we create an environment of oneness, acceptance, and inclusivity amongst such a diverse population?” This is obviously something that will not be solved with a town hall, a speaker, or any one event. There is no magic bullet!
This is what One Mizzou is:
One Mizzou is a student led initiative built around a desire to create a more inclusive campus community.
One Mizzou advocates education, programming and the exchange of dialogue facilitated by our student organizations and campus resources.
One Mizzou will challenge students, faculty and staff to recognize and incorporate diverse voices and perspectives in every aspect of campus life.
As with any great movement and organization, there are always growing pains. One Mizzou is on the cusp of becoming a great movement for students, faculty, staff and all Tiger fans the world over will have the ability to buy into. For now, we accept responsibility for failing to promote our work effectively but we believe that creating a lasting framework is more important than being obnoxiously visible just for the sake of publicity. Bottom line: please excuse our mess while we place ourselves to be as successful as possible. We will continue to work our hardest to ensure that this institution continues to mean One Mizzou for all.