by Tonya Bauer

Election 2012- it is an event that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the first time I voted in a presidential election and it was the first time I got to report on one; two things I’d say impact each other.

I vote every opportunity I get- primaries, county judges, Congress races- because generations before me did not always have that chance. I vote for the African Americans who were beaten, I vote for the women who broke free of the housewife mold, I vote for all the individuals who stood up for their rights, even when no one else did.

I come from white privilege, and I am aware of that. My ancestors, the males anyways, have always been able to vote in this country. But African Americans, women, and other minority groups have not- and even though I may not identify with all these groups, they still suffered and fought for their right to vote, they demonstrated how important the right to vote was, and I don’t want to waste that.

Reporting on the election I’ve heard the stories of people’s first trip to the polls, their ancestors suffrage, or their passion for the democratic process. Seeing their enthusiasm and their excitement about voting makes me not want to waste the opportunity.

Voting is my way to get my voice heard. It is my way to impact society- big and small. That is why I voted in Election 2012 and cannot wait to do it again next year.

by Elaina Powless

My name is Elaina Powless, and I am a sophomore Advertising major in the Newhouse School of Public Communication, at Syracuse University. I chose to come to Syracuse  because it is home to a very good program for Native American students.

Nancy Cantor has done great work as chancellor regarding encouraging minority groups to come to Syracuse University, by providing a very welcoming atmosphere and pushing programs that support affirmative action in higher education. Her efforts have paid off, and according to Syracuse University’s Fact Page, minority students’ account for 24.4 percent of the total student population.

Although there are minorities in Syracuse University, I personally feel that there is less representation in Newhouse. I believe this is because the actual communications industry itself does not seem like a plausible career path to minority students. There are not many main role models for young minorities to aspire to be.

As time goes on, the industry climate will change and diversity in Newhouse will not be an issue. Businesses have a strong demand for fresh points of view, and this move will integrate different people into the workplace.  I look forward to the day where everyone is represented fairly in the media and there will be a variety of voices in communications.

by Shanice Bland

I grew up in an extremely diverse town, coming from the suburbs of New Jersey. So, when I came to Syracuse I was surprised to see that it wasn’t as diverse as I expecting it to be. In fact, I found myself around more caucasian students, than any one other specific race. I would love to see more diversity especially in Newhouse because dealing with social media, it is important to have multiple races, views, and backgrounds so that there are different perspectives disseminated. It would be boring if every one had the same opinion and same beliefs and this would do nothing to expand diversity and intelligence.

by Luisa Ardila

As a first generation immigrant I am very conscious of the effects of diversity in a community. Diversity fosters dynamic dialogue, which is the foundation for democracy. At Newhouse I’ve been mindful of the ways in which awareness of diversity affect our work as media creators. That is why I am proud to be one of the leaders of a student organization that tries to promote that diversity.

CitrusTV has the only Spanish news show in Central New York and I’m lucky to be Executive Producer for our weekly newscasts. With my Co-EP, we realized that our operation was being limited by perception. People thought our staff was made up of only fluent Spanish speakers and that intimidated potential volunteers.

We then made it a point to diversify our staff to include students from all walks of life and all levels of Spanish proficiency. All we did was communicate more openly with potential students, showing them that our diversity made us stronger. The Noticias team went from being a group of 10 passionate volunteers to a wholesome team of 40+ students, all in less than one semester. I believe this has helped us be more conscious of producing content for a diverse audience and has advanced our ultimate goals for Noticias.

I hope that Noticias will continue to be an outstanding organization at Syracuse University, which leads the dialogue of diversity in the media. As the Hispanic minority expands in this country, I hope that Noticias will serve as an example of how universities can embrace that community and make a conscious effort to educate the public. With projects like Noticias, we can educate the public about the Hispanic minority. We also integrate Spanish speakers into the current event dialogue in this country.

Isn’t that what makes democracy great?

by Taylyn Washington-Harmon

To introduce myself, my name is Taylyn Washington-Harmon. I’m a freshman Magazine major and a proud Newhouse Ambassador. I’m originally from Chicago, IL and I’m happy to make Syracuse my new home.

For my first blog post, I wanted to talk about my experience with diversity within Newhouse. The amount of diversity in Newhouse is absolutely perfect and kept me interested in the school and Syracuse University as well. The diverse environment that Newhouse offers makes me feel truly comfortable and open. I enjoy meeting people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and cultures and hearing their viewpoints whether it’s in the classroom or in everyday conversation.

I particularly enjoy diversity as a theme within the Newhouse curriculum. The diversity requirement for class choices is extremely beneficial to all students and reinforces the points I made above, but applying them to my academic studies, and for this, I am extremely thankful.

In light of the recent debates and the upcoming presidential election, we’ve seen across the board the support and backlash our first African-American president has received since being elected. I read a story that inspired this post on Clutch Magazine titled, “The Separation of Race and State: Will Black America Stay Engaged in Politics Post-Obama?” and it made me wonder simply, ‘Will they?” It is estimated, two million more African-Americans voted from the 2004 to the 2008 presidential election and the black voter turnout rate increased 4.9 percentage points.

Actress, Stacey Dash recently endorsed Republican candidate Mitt Romney, supporting her decision with the following statement, “I chose him not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.” Sound familiar? She once again drew upon inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King when asked about her support for President Obama in 2008, “I don’t vote because of race or skin color…. at that time he was the best candidate, It’s different this time.” She’s received incessant backlash from many individuals of color in regards to her decision, but the strongest argument yet has come from those not upset about her political affiliation, but her support of a man opposed to women and specifically the caucasian candidate.

I wrote this post not to criticize but to acknowledge, President Obama is not an automatic endorser of the black agenda and neither should his supporters be. His presidency has improved political astuteness amongst minorities, disparities that directly affect the lower-class and work equality for individuals of color. But it is the sole responsibility of those citizens to maintain this wealth of knowledge and fervor regardless of whose in office. Don’t just Barack the Vote, VOTE period!

On Thursday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the Syracuse University Public Diplomacy symposium with Under Secretary of the State, Tara Sonenshine guest speaking. As an expert in Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, I was interested to hear of her impact on international relations, explanation of the relationship between communications and technology as the 21st century progresses and so on. But she commanded the room immediately, telling students, “You cannot address the challenges of the 21st century solely through the lens of policy.” She understood that communication is about the people not the industry or specialization. As it relates to public relations however, her 3-lens setting analogy hit home for me as a PR practitioner.

1) Short-term lens: Examines the situations immediately to figure out what or if something is happening.
2) Mid-term lens: Thinks in the context of the short-term, but doesn’t expect to get things done at the moment.
3) Long-term lens: The strongest of the three, the long-term lens is focused on the future, a future you can’t quite see yet.

As PR professionals, we utilize these lens in our everyday responsibilities, choosing which fits each situation whether it be to diffuse unsubstantiated rumors or dispel facts. We can no longer afford to be unambitious because our profession revolves around creating fluid relationships and reassuring our publics concerns and funds are resounding through.

Lastly, she proposed two questions that Hilary Clinton analyzed and answered when she developed the quadrennial diplomacy and development review (QDDR). They can easily be applied to public relations and should be at the forefront of all agency objectives: 1) How do you adapt your structure’s to today’s world? and How are we going to produce results?

As your implementing objectives, conducting research and achieving goals, continually ask yourself these questions to ensure your approach is integrated and for the better.

by Alyssa Di Rienzo

Heightism is defined as any prejudice or discrimination based on height.  Sociologists and psychologists have studied heightism in America, and have noted that there seems to be a cultural and social bias against the short.  It is quite obvious that heightism also plays a significant role in the media.  It is almost impossible to name more than a few short celebrities.  Hollywood places heavy emphasis on height.  Famous actors are often tall, dark and handsome.  Female celebrities would not walk the red carpet without their 5-inch Jimmy Choo heels to create the illusion of height. Hollywood glorifies tallness, while condemning the short.

Daniel Craig

In the media, there is an overwhelming negative portrayal of short men.   Many actors have claimed that they have been denied leading roles because of their height.   In 2005, when Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond, the production company received heavy criticism, with critics complaining that the actor was too short to play the role.  Daniel Craig, at 5ft 10in, stands one inch taller than the average American male. Similarly, in 2012 when actor Henry Cavill was cast as Superman for the upcoming 2013 film Man of Steel, many complained that he was too short for the role, despite being 6ft 1in.   While Hollywood does not put as much pressure on women in this area, they often still subjugated to height discrimination.

Lord Farquaad (Shrek)

The media often pokes fun at short people, further emphasizing a cultural bias against short people.   There are countless examples in film and television today to support this contention. Short characters are often victimized for comedic value.  Lord Farquaad, the primary antagonist in the animated Shrek films, is constantly ridiculed for his height.   Comparatively, Plankton, the evil opponent in the SpongeBob series is also degraded for his small stature, and constantly stepped on.  (Also, note how the short characters are also almost always are the bad guys.)  This phenomenon does not only happen with animated features.  In the popular HBO show, Entourage, one of the 4 main characters, Eric Murphy is endlessly tormented by his 3 friends for being short.

Plankton (Spongebob Squarepants)

• Elf – In this film the little person is ridiculed by Buddy the Elf.  He is called the “angry elf” and is asked if he is from the “south pole”
• Project X – In this movie, a group of teenagers place the little person in an oven.

I think we all need to be reminded diversity issues concern more than just skin color or ethnicity.   We have to remember that while people may look differently, we must all be treated the same.

#embracediversity

by Candice Frank

What makes an environment diverse? A fulfilled quota? The“token [insert race here]” guy or girl? In my opinion, a place may be statistically diverse; but if the different types of people in that place never integrate, communicate, or work together – what good is diversity?

Despite the fact that there is a decent amount of minorities at Syracuse University, the campus is very segregated. Syracuse is known as one the most segregated schools in the country. College Prowler states:

“Although Syracuse may not be the most diverse campus around, there are a significant number of minority students here. That said, pure numbers and statistics do not determine the true diversity level on a college campus; intermingling between cultures is what’s important. However, Syracuse, like many other “diverse” universities, shows a distinct lack of social interaction between people of different backgrounds.”

Sadly, Newhouse is also very segregated. In my Newhouse classes, I work on projects and discuss class-related topics with my white peers, but once outside the classroom, everyone goes their separate ways and there is little to no communication across racial lines. I believe that diversity is not only about having the numbers to show that different types of people coexist in an environment, but it is also about how much integration takes place. Of course you can’t force people to get to know each other or hang out just as you cannot make kids play with one another on a playground. It’s human nature not to be able to connect with everyone. However, a place will prosper greater when two forces work together towards the success of one thing instead of two forces working on opposite ends of the same goal. This is the benefit of integration.

“Do you want a collection of brilliant minds or a brilliant collection of minds?” –R. Meredith Belbin

Furthermore, diversity extends beyond race. Newhouse is 60% female and 40% male. Gender imbalance can have similar negative effects as racial imbalance. Gender and race are just two of the many factors that make an environment diverse. Diversity does not exist simply because a certain amount of minorities or a certain amount of females coexist in one place. That place can still be heavily segregated. They must actively promote progress in that environment by working together. In a sense, diversity is not only about quantity, but it is about quality as well.  

If there is segregation, then diversity is useless. Diversity fosters progress while segregation hinders it.  I love my school, but Syracuse has not quite grasped this ‘integration’ aspect of diversity. A diversity initiative in each department of study would be a great start.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford

by Melanie Copeland

The Bechdel Test measures women’s relevance to a plot and determines female presence in Hollywood. In order for a movie to pass the Bechdel test it only needs to meet three simple requirements:

1. The movie needs to have at least two or more women in it
2. They must have names
3. They have to talk to each other about something other than a man

Simple right? What is funny about this test is that most of the award-winning movies fail the Bechdel test. Many of the movies are very good movies that I have watched and enjoyed, but like the speaker says in the video, “The test is best when used as a tool to evaluate Hollywood as an institution.” The test is used to reveal a problem in Hollywood.

I never once questioned the lack of woman relevancy in movie plots as a frequent movie goer. I think that I always accepted things as they were. It makes me think about how much of a patriarchal world we live in. I hope one day that this problem changes in Hollywood but it won’t until the leaders of the dominant companies become more diverse.

Another thing interesting about the test is that it can be adapted to show the lack of relevance of other oppressed groups like African Americans. Just change the requirements to this:

1. The Movie needs to have at least two or more African Americans in it
2. They must have names
3. They must talk to each other about something other than a white person

Let’s see how many movies fail this test.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” –Mahatma Ghandi

#embracediversity