Greetings, peeps.
On my calendar, week six has been crossed out with a fat scented marker (licorice, for those wondering). It was a busy one, and thoughts of spring break kept me going.
Perhaps the highlight of the week was the visit of a fellow editor-in-chief, Gregory Moore, who runs a different award-winning Post, albeit in Denver. While he was speaking on stage Monday, Moore shared his experiences and true words of wisdom.
Moore’s key piece of advice for leaders, in my opinion, was to “always leave more stars than you found” when you arrived on the job. As spring commencement and the real world seem to be screaming toward me, I find myself thinking about that phrase more and more.
The front pages of The Post this week featured profiles of four Ohio University professors who hail from foreign countries. The first told the compelling story of Amado Lascar, who is one of my most favorite professors I’ve ever had — and that’s after failing his class once (entirely my fault).
Lascar taught me many things, but his reinforcement of my ability to think critically was likely the most important. History is written by the victors, and the powerful are constantly creating the narrative we are living even today; it takes time and effort to find the truth. It might sound like philosophical BS, but it can make all the difference.
Speaking of history, Page 2 was full of it this week. Matt Farmer wrote in his column Monday that he believed additional focus on diversity, both in faculty and in coursework, is necessary in the university’s history department. Several letters and online comments followed. Some were critical, others supportive, but they all made clear that diversity is valued here in Athens.
The week was capped off with a visit from Soledad O’Brien, who brought parts of her documentary Black in America to a packed Baker Ballroom. She shared the stories she had collected while describing what it is to be black in America. It was powerful to have such a recognized journalist at the university, but her message was far more striking than her presence.
Looking back at the week, The Post and its staff saw shining examples of diversity — from Moore, who is black, to Lascar, who is Chilean, to O’Brien, whose parents are Cuban and Australian — that remind us of the contributions each person can make, regardless of background.
Their stories and messages also reiterate that there is still much more to be done. We’ll continue trying to do our part.
Ryan Clark is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Email him about leadership, diversity and scented markers at rc348710@ohiou.edu.
