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PAGE 4 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM Shepherd champions diversity in new role

BY MADELINE MARTIN

Staff Writer

Ouachita President Dr. Ben Sells expressed the need for greater advancement in diversity and inclusion for minorities on campus in June. This followed months of national protests calling for an end to systemic racism.

As part of this mission, Sells brought Dr. Lewis Shepherd onto Ouachita’s executive leadership team as the Special Assistant to the President, a full-time position dedicated solely to advancing diversity and inclusion.

Shepherd grew up in southwest Arkansas as the youngest of four siblings. From a young age, his parents instilled in him the importance of getting a good education. Shepherd was encouraged to do well in school and to go to college.

Shepherd has been part of the Ouachita community since he started his undergraduate degree at the age of 17. While in school, Shepherd served as a campus resident assistant and worked as a funeral home assistant. Shepherd graduated with a bachelor’s degree in religion.

Following graduation, Shepherd was offered an assistant position to Dean B. Aldon Dixon. While serving in this role, Shepherd earned his master’s degree in education from Ouachita. He also worked with the TRiO program, pastored at Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and served as assistant to former university president Andy Westmoreland.

In 2009, Shepherd went across the ravine to Henderson and served for 11 years in various leadership capacities. But recently, an opportunity arose for him to return to Ouachita in a new role. And for Shepherd, the decision to return was easy.

“Dr. Sells gave me the tremendous opportunity to come back home, and I took it quickly,” Shepherd said. “Let me just tell you, there’s no place like home. There is no place like Ouachita.”

The creation of Shepherd’s position was a product of Ouachita’s pursuit of racial equality and inclusion on campus. The idea came about as a result of several meetings between Shepherd and Sells over the past few years, where Shepherd also expressed his desire to return to Ouachita in some way.

The catalyst for his instatement, however, was the culmination of the pandemic and the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old former security guard from Minneapolis. Floyd was killed on May 25 at the hands of police during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a convenience store.

His unjust death sparked protests and conversations over racial injustice and inequality in the nation, all while a global pandemic surged.

“It’s an amazing thing that someone most people would never have known has had an impact all over the world, and simultaneously there’s a virus that no one has ever heard of,” Shepherd said.

The purpose of Shepherd’s position is to ensure racial and cultural diversity as well as inclusion for students of color. Having racial equality levels the playing field, allowing everyone to have some oportunity to succeed.

Shepherd will work with students and faculty members of various ethnicities to make certain that they are comfortable and supported at Ouachita. He will also ensure that rates of persistence toward graduation, GPAs and enrollment of minority students are in good standing.

Shepherd also works with alumni of color to form connections with current students so that they have ties to the professional world

Quantel Williams, Lewis Shepherd and Monica Rutledge smile during MORE’s back to school event. Shepherd has played a vital role in overseeing MORE and working to foster discussions about diversity on campus. (photo by Abby Blankenship)

after graduation. There has been overwhelming support from alumni who want to get involved with current minority students through mentorship or donations for scholarships.

The Multicultural Organization Reaching Equality (MORE) is also under Shepherd’s scope. MORE provides a safe space for minority students, brings students of different cultures together and encourages inclusivity and diversity. One of the ways they accomplish this is by hosting events on campus.

With Shepherd’s guidance, MORE hopes to explore ways to be more visible on campus and get more students involved with their events. By lending support, students can become allies for minorities on campus and help move toward change. Visibility and presence are key.

“Just someone’s presence makes all the difference in the world because it speaks volumes,” Shepherd said.

For Dayja James, sophomore biology major and president of MORE, this organization has been vital to her Ouachita experience. She found a home away from home in MORE.

James praises Shepherd for his ability to be a peacemaker as well as an advocate. He is also a warm and welcoming person, which is important for his position.

“That’s what I love about Dr. Shepherd,” James said. “ He has such a warm presence. He just brings something refreshing to the table.”

Shepherd’s position is relevant, and a college campus is a good place to cultivate diversity among cultures. One way students can do this is to engage with people of other races and cultures that are different from their own.

When discussing what it takes to achieve diversity, Shepherd refers to what he calls the “Three A’s”: acknowledgement, acceptance and appreciation.

When it comes to acceptance, Shepherd believes it is important to accept people for who they are and to appreciate others’ perspectives. This fosters learning and acceptance. Having understanding and being willing to grow helps to create real change.

“Everyone does have something to offer,” Shepherd said. “And that’s what makes America strong.”

Learning to acknowledge, accept and appreciate other cultures goes to the core of Ouachita’s mission statement.

As followers of Christ, it is important to realize that all people are God’s children, despite varying racial backgrounds. Everyone is made in the image of Christ and therfore has value.

“No matter how different we may look, it shows the love of Christ when we accept people for who they are and want to include them in the family of God,” Shepherd said. “It’s the right thing to do as a Christian university.”

Refer-A-Tiger aims to reach potential students

BY KATIE TYREE

Staff Writer

Over the past few weeks, Ouachita students have been participating in the Refer-A-Tiger challenge. By submitting names of potential students, their names have gone into a drawing for prizes such as an Apple TV, AirPods, gift cards and a year of free Spotify Premium.

This challenge is a way for current students to contribute contact information for potential students. Having this information allows Ouachita to send information to potential students and encourage them to apply.

According to Director of Admissions and Ouachita alumna Lori Motl, about 65% of this year’s freshman class found out about Ouachita from someone they knew personally. Motl believes that personal connection helps Ouachita stand out, especially when the information is coming from someone who is a current student.

“Students are really the best recruiters when they’re talking to their friends because they can share everything they love about Ouachita,” Motl said.

Referrals from current students are especially important this year because COVID has put traditional college fairs, where recruiters typically interact directly with students, on hold.

“Normally my entire office would be gone right now, and they would be gone all of this month and all of next month going to college fairs,” Motl said.

While virtual fairs are being held in place of the regular college fair experience, there is less interaction from current students at these events. Prospective students are also receiving less information than they would normally receive at these events.

“When we walk out of a college fair… we come away with stacks of info cards, and I get an email with a whole bunch of leads of students who are interested in coming to Ouachita,” Motl said. “From yesterday and today, we’ve gotten a total of 36 leads so far, and that’s with some of our biggest fairs already behind us.”

This limited interaction coupled with no guarantees of continued on campus learning has hurt the college admission and recruiting process. But student referrals are a way to fix this problem.

“We need the help of the entire Ouachita student body to help get us names and help us recruit,” Motl said. “That’s one reason we’re giving away Apple TVs and Apple watches.”

Referring others can make a larger impact than students may realize. Motl taught at a high school before working as an admissions counselor. During that time, she printed out an application to Ouachita for a student who was uncertain about which college to attend. The student ended up choosing Ouachita, where she met her future husband. Motl says she has no memory of the event, but the student told her about it after graduating.

“I changed the entire trajectory of her life in that one conversation, and it’s not something I thought about. I just told her she needed to check out Ouachita,” Motl said. “It’s just a simple conversation. I was sharing something I loved with someone that I cared about, and that’s what referring students to Ouachita does.”

Students can participate in the challenge by filling out the form at admissions.obu.edu/register/referchallenge. The form can be filled out for as many people as each student wants to refer.

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WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 5

Madison Cresswell and Judy Duvall talk while carrying sack breakfasts for volunteers. Judy Duvall is the associate director of the Elrod Center and leads Tiger Serve Day each year. Cresswell was a team leader this year. (photo by Abby Blankenship)

TSD inspires community appreciation

BY GABBY DAVIS

Staff Writer

The Elrod Center hosted Tiger Serve Day on Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. A total of 116 teams and 850 volunteers participated in the event.

The Tiger Serve Day leadership team successfully found new service projects that allowed students to serve the community while complying with COVID guidelines. Projects included picking up trash across as well as working on a range of outdoor projects at churches, schools, nursing homes and local nonprofit organizations.

“Because of the pandemic, we switched to mostly outdoor cleanup projects in the city,” Associate Director of the Elrod Center Judy Duvall said. “It was satisfying to be able to give back to our city and its workers, and Tiger Serve Day was a way for our volunteers to take pride in our city and say, ‘Thank you, Arkadelphia!’”

Duvall added that teams also wrote thank you notes to city workers, which will be delivered this week along with treats from local bakeries.

For many students, their commitment to local service in the community inspired them to continue the Tiger Serve Day tradition despite the unusual circumstances.

“I wanted to remember the legacy of all the Tiger Serve Days before this one,” junior communications major Lydia Dean said. “The coronavirus shouldn’t stop us from serving the community. We need to be serving our community more than ever before.”

Tiger Serve Day provided leadership opportunities for students like Dean, whose team helped paint and stain the gazebo by Java Primo in downtown Arkadelphia.

Rachel David, a senior biology major, led her first TSD team this past weekend. Despite her initial hesitation and fear of disappointing her peers, Davide stepped out of her comfort zone in order to serve her community.

“We joked and had a good time,” David said. “Also, the community greeted us and thanked us for our work. It truly warmed our hearts. We can make an impact doing the smallest of tasks.”

David led a small team in picking up trash along the road from St. Andrews United Methodist Church up to N. 23rd St. She attributes her positive experience to the hard work put in by the Tiger Serve Day leadership team. Duvall was also proud of the leadership team and the work they put into the event.

“It was a beautiful, joyful day from beginning to end,” Duvall said. “I am so proud of our Ouachita volunteers who gave so willingly of their time.”