SGA pressures peers to 'embrace diversity' by signing pledge

The student government at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs unanimously approved a resolution in favor of launching an “inclusive campus campaign” that asks students to pledge to “embrace diversity.”

The campaign, led by Student Body President Samuel Elliott, even asks those who take the pledge to wear a smiley-face button around campus to “visibly show that members of the campus are committed to promoting diversity.”

[RELATED: NCAA pressures school officials to sign diversity pledge]

“The campaign’s purpose is to show the university’s commitment to embracing diversity on campus,” a press release for the campaign states, noting that “a pledge available for everyone on campus to sign is the center of the campaign,” and can be found “at over [sic] 10 coffee shops and offices across campus.”

A related statement on Elliott's Facebook page identifies precisely where pledges can be found on campus, informing students that offices such as “Academic Advising,” the Student Government Association’s (SGA) office, and even the “business dean” are providing copies.

Although the SGA never replied to Campus Reform’s request for comment, Elliott asserts in another Facebook post that a resolution in support of the campaign was passed “via a unanimous vote” by SGA.

[RELATED: 10 student senators face impeachment for voting against diversity bill]

The pledge itself contains six canons that pledges agree to abide by, such as embracing “diversity and the differences I share with others at UCCS,” and refraining “from behavior or using language that is discriminatory.”

All who take the pledge are required to sign their names to a copy of it, thus pledging to “show the UCCS community’s commitment to embracing diversity on campus,” and are also asked to display their smiley-face buttons “to promote a more inclusive campus climate.”

“We all have seen the news on racial and political tensions or that one person who spews hate on your timeline,” Elliott said in a statement. “This pledge is meant to be positivity in a time where there is a lot of negativity.”

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