November 12, 2009
Housing and Food Services wants students to say ‘Count Me In’
Residence halls ideally become a home away from home for students. Since UW students come from some many different backgrounds, the process of making the dorms into a home can be challenging for some. That’s why Housing and Food Services is asking students to take a proactive role in making the halls a positive and welcoming community for all through its Count Me In campaign.
The official kickoff for the 2009-2010 academic school year will be later this month.
“The Count Me In campaign is the Department of Housing and Food Services new diversity initiative,” explained Resident Director Melanie Mitchell. “It’s in its second year and has potential to grow every year.”
The campaign is a proactive measure, not a response to problems, said Residential Life Administrator Clive Pursehouse.
HFS introduced the campaign last January. The first step in the program is getting residents to submit a pledge. The pledge reads:
- I promise to stand against intolerant behavior, to not ignore any form of discrimination, and to show our world that I will not accept a place where anyone is made to feel unwelcome.
- I pledge to become a beacon of hope for those who experience the pain of discrimination, and my speech and actions will model this to the community around me.
- I desire a society in which everyone’s humanity is vital to building a respectful, positive and inclusive community.
“I like the Count Me In campaign,” said Pursehouse, “because even though it is through HFS, it really depends on the students. It’s an opportunity for them to get involved with making our halls welcoming for all residents. Count Me In gives the residents a voice.”
After residents make the Count Me In pledge they receive a T-shirt, which was designed by a student, said Mitchell. HFS plans to have a student design the campaign’s shirt every year.
“The T-shirts are cool because they are a walking reminder of the pledge and a way to remind students about the campaign,” said Pursehouse. “When a resident wears the shirt around, they’re reminding everyone that they will do their part.
“Last year a little over 700 or 12-15 percent of our residents took the pledge.”
HFS would like to double that this year.
“There are a few ways we are working to get more participation this year,” explained Pursehouse. “We will be releasing a student-made viral video about the campaign toward the end of the month as part of the official kickoff. We are also going to have more regularity in regards to Count Me In events and tabling in the dorms to encourage students to pledge.”
The Count Me In Film Series is one of the campaign’s regular events. The year’s first film was the documentary Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia, which was shown Nov. 3 in McMahon Hall.
Exporting Harm brought attention to the harmful practice of exporting computer waste to Asian villages where the old electronics are hugely affecting the environment and the quality of the villagers’ lives.
The post-discussion was led by Tania Busch Isaksen from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. She provided students with a few suggestions for things they can do to help the situation:
- Verify that the place where you send your old electronics to will actually recycle them and not just export them to a Chinese village
- Do not buy new electronics until you absolutely have to
- Become politically active
All of the films chosen highlight a social justice issue and encourage students to think of ways they can help. Discussions follow the films.
The next films, for which dates have not yet been set, are Made in L.A. and Daddy and Papa. The dates will be posted online soon.
Made in L.A. follows three Latina garment workers and explores legal and moral issues with getting employers to take responsibility for labor conditions. For more information click here. Daddy and Papa is a documentary about life for gay parents and their children. For more information go here.
HFS got the inspiration for the Count Me In campaign from the University of Oregon.
“They created the campaign about three years ago,” said Pursehouse. “Part of my job is thinking of programming that centers around diversity and the U of O presented the Count Me In program at a few housing conferences I attended.”
To learn more about UO’s campaign click here.
“I liked that the success of Count Me In is really up to our students,” continued Pursehouse. “It is a young program at UW, so we are still working on a way to measure its success. We’re definitely going to stick with it. I hope it becomes a tradition.
“My ultimate vision is that Count Me In expands beyond the residence halls and becomes a campus wide initiative.”
