For years, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has boasted incredible inclusivity (accepting and understanding of varying lifestyles/cultures, including the viewpoints/ideas of everybody, acting in a respectful way toward others, using language that is not offensive or derogatory, etc.) toward its faculty, staff, and student body. On the front page of the UWEC website, it claims that it was "Ranked a Best of the Best LGBTQIA+ Friendly College in 2022 by Campus Pride."

As a resident assistant, I (and my fellow colleagues) go through extensive inclusivity training for two weeks prior to the start of each school year. We are taught to use inclusive language, be respectful members of the community, and to help everybody feel welcome. The campus preaches inclusivity from day-one up through graduation day.

However, in the last couple of years, many exclusive, derogatory, and offensive habits have formed within the faculty and support staff of the university. Professors have been reported to the Dean of Students for misogynistic language (on multiple occasions), numerous students were involved in a scandal related to racist/biased behavior toward our SOC, and today (August 29th, 2022), a leading figure of the university misgendered one of my fellow resident assistants. For a campus that prides itself on "inclusivity," it does a poor job of handling and averting exclusive actions by the students and faculty.

Today's incident struck a particularly sensitive nerve for me as I witnessed the event transpire; the misgendered student (who uses "they/them" pronouns instead of the university official's assumed "she/her" pronouns) had to remove themself from the area of the event in order to feel safe. For those who do not understand the severity of this topic, use this link to further educate yourself.

In response to these horrible acts by my fellow peers and the university's staff, I petition that each university staff member who is in direct communication with other people/students/faculty members on a semi-regular basis be required to take part in the university's Faculty EDI Training Certificate Program. This program has been present within our university for a number of years. Requiring staff members to take part in this specific training would reduce the number of bias incidents targeted at students. The hiring process (which goes through the UW System as a whole) would stipulate this requirement for people applying to work at UWEC. For current faculty members, a completed EDI certification would be required by the end of the 2023-2024 school year, while all incoming faculty members would be required to complete the training by the end of their first year teaching under contract (whether tenured or otherwise). Failure to do so would result in penalty against the offender.

With a suffering retention rate over the last three years, UWEC has been attempting to find ways in which to increase the number of students who continue their educational studies at UWEC after their first year. Using harmful language against any student (with no formal way to prevent it from happening in the future) will only make the retention rate decrease further.

Without proper and professional change, this crisis will only become greater within our campus. Students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized groups of people will refrain from attending a university which already has a rather poor retention rate and a small incoming class size as compared to previous years.

My hope is that students of all kinds are feeling supported, welcomed, and safe when they step foot on campus. Without immediate action, students will continue to feel unwelcome to a campus which boasts inclusivity.