Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Diversity: Diversity describes the myriad ways in which people differ, including the psychological, physical, and social differences that occur among all individuals, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, religion, economic class, education, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, mental and physical ability, and learning styles. Diversity is all inclusive and supportive of the proposition that everyone and every group should be valued. It is about understanding these differences and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of our differences.

Equity: Equity ensures that individuals are provided the resources they need to have access to the same opportunities as the general population. While equity represents impartiality, the distribution is made in such a way to even opportunities for all the people. Conversely equality indicates uniformity, where everything is evenly distributed among people. The effort to provide different resources and/or levels of support based on an individual’s or group’s needs that acknowledges and addresses the legacy of historical inequities in order to achieve future fairness in educational processes and outcomes. 

Inclusion/Inclusiveness: Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/ or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power.

The Department of Communication, Journalism, and Media is committed to meeting its diversity-specific goals. CJM's diversity plan helps measure DEI KPIs. We are preparing students as they enter the world of communications and journalism to address the needs of diverse populations and to create content with accessibility in mind to best serve the public good. To do this we:

We support and grow a diverse student body.

• Partner with Admissions to attend Open Houses, coordinate Raider Day visits, and visit high schools.
• Sponsor off-campus trips to enhance students’ understanding of history and the world around them.
• Sponsor and promote diverse guest speakers.
• Support student attendance at conferences and other professional development events.
• Work to increase persistence and graduation rates and decrease disparities in these areas .
• Provide equitable access to equipment, facilities, and experiences.
• Maintain a culture of respect, curiosity in the expression of diverse points of view.
• Support student voices through student media.

 We support and grow an empathetic faculty.

• Support faculty professional development and research in better understanding the communities we serve.
• Complete ADA, Office of Accessibility Resources, and Office of Inclusion, Belonging & Social Equity trainings to enhance our understanding of history, student needs and ways to make a positive difference on campus and in the world around us.
• Maintain a culture of respect, curiosity and inclusion.

 We infuse representation throughout the curriculum.

• The curriculum reflects human, societal, and intellectual diversity.
• The curriculum reflects industry demand for understanding, partnering with, and reflecting diverse audience’s needs and experiences.

We foster a climate of representation and inclusiveness.

• Maintain a culture of respect, curiosity and inclusion
• Participate and promote Office of Inclusion, Belonging & Social Equity and Multicultural Student Affairs events.
• Advocate for representation and inclusivity in the general education curriculum and in student media.
• Provide forums for campus-wide conversations through student media, classes and guest speakers.

Shippensburg University students are invited to join student groups that enrich and support their cultural experiences on campus. These include:

African American Organization (AFRO-AM)

Asian American Pacific Islander Organization (AAPIO) 

African Student Association (ASA) 

Latino Student Organization (LSO) 

Multi-Ethnic Student Association (MESA) 

Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA)

Check out more student organizations here.

There are many national organizations that communications students can join. They offer training, networking, and support for communications students and professionals. They include:

National Association of Black Journalists

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

Asian American Journalists Association

Indigenous Journalists Association

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists

International Women’s Media Foundation

Coalition for Women in Journalism

Association for Women in Communications

National Federation of Press Women

There are multiple opportunities for students to get involved with support an inclusive campus environment. These include:

Office of Equity, Inclusion and Compliance 

Office of Accessibility Resources 

Office of Multicultural Student Affairs 

PAGE Center