Incorporate DEI and anti-racist language into the discussion of what and who an Ole is and what St. Olaf stands for.

• Use explicit terms such as: diversity, diverse, inclusion, equity, anti-racism, etc., as well as specific descriptors around race/ethnicity/socioeconomic status.
• A “colorblind” or race-neutral approach is not aligned with the college’s equity and inclusion goals.
• Be explicit about the benefits and impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion for our campus community and St. Olaf’s commitment to anti-racism.

Be intentional and do not tokenize students, faculty, and staff with marginalized identities in your content and communications.

• Think carefully about the story you’re trying to tell and the message you’re trying to convey. How do the individuals you’re featuring in your content help tell that story? Are you authentically representing the St. Olaf experience?
• Over-representing people with marginalized identities can reinforce stereotypes. Review your content carefully with a critical eye toward this.

For example, if three out of the five people profiled in a piece about low-income students who benefitted from scholarships are black women, that reinforces negative intersectional stereotypes about who has need.

When sharing the stories of BIPOC individuals or those with other marginalized identities, make sure you are highlighting the full range of their experiences rather than a single accomplishment or activity.

• What are the talents and strengths they brought to St. Olaf? What high-impact activities have shaped their experience?

Avoid the “St. Olaf as savior” story.

• Instead of a story about how a student became something or someone only after arriving at St. Olaf, tell the story of the strengths they brought to our campus and how they enhanced our community — and how they’re using those skills and talent to make an impact in the world.
• Our content should highlight the fact that St. Olaf students arrive on campus with strengths and talents. Who they are is enough, and there isn’t some sort of invisible benchmark they have to reach to be a full member of this community.

Give voice to not only good things about the St. Olaf experience, but also the challenges.

• BIPOC students, faculty, and staff especially carry not only personal but generational trauma due to racial weathering, and their struggles need to be acknowledged and addressed.
• It’s important to give space for the narratives that the status quo has left out or actively excluded.
  Invite more students, faculty, and staff to share first-person accounts of their experiences.

The relatively new Student View series provides an example of how we can provide a space for members of our campus community to share an honest, authentic take on an experience they’ve had at St. Olaf.

• Be open to sharing honest accounts of experiences, even when they are painful or challenge the college.

As you’re creating content and looking at it through the DEI lens, be mindful of the wide variety of marginalized identities that should be taken into consideration — and the fact that some are visible and others aren’t.

• This includes race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic factors, geography, ability, mental health, and religious beliefs, to name a few.