Students feel Seawolf Living does not represent all students

“I wouldn’t say seawolf living is diverse,” says Raymonni Ball, fourth year theater art major with a concentration in acting. Ball thinks that the demographics on campus makes it difficult for Seawolf Living to be diverse.

MARIAH FORSTER STAFF WRITER

By students, for students. This slogan is featured on Seawolf Living’s website, but is it an accurate description of of the organization?

Most students are familiar with Seawolf Living, which is a campus organization that highlights student life on campus. With their fun TikToks and cutesy Instagram posts, it’s hard not to enjoy the content.

However, some students have questioned whether Seawolf Living is living up to their motto of being for the students because their marketing suggests otherwise.

“If it really was for the students, they would be showcasing us, people of color.” said a student who requested to remain anonymous.

Olivia Blades, fourth year psychology student also believes that Seawolf Living isn’t doing a great job at being inclusive. Blades believes that Seawolf Living should include different types of students on their Instagram page such as Black, queer, and those with disabilities.

One student who requested to speak under the allies of Victoria D was a Brandbassador for Seawolf Living. They witnessed the advantage that those a part of the same social group got when applying for paid positions.

“The people in the paid positions are all a part of the same sororities and friend groups…the sororities these people belong to are predominantly white,” Said D. “It didn’t matter my qualifications, it mattered my connections and that made me frustrated.”

Educational institutions such as Sonoma State strive to be inclusive and diverse in all aspects of campus life.

But it’s difficult to advocate for diversity when you are giving an advantage to those linked to predominantly white sororities and social groups.

Paloma Felix-Esparza, who is a fourth year transfer student studying theater said, “I think they are trying to be diverse and inclusive because on Instagram, they highlight different students…however, I feel that they use the same diverse faces on their platforms.” They continued, “When it’s the same people of color or the same people in groups, it’s no longer representing the campus as a whole.”

One way that Seawolf Living can do better is by supporting and attending events on campus facilitated by minorities. “They could go to one of the HUB programs such as QSA or attend BSU and talk to students,” said Blades.

Seawolf Living does add value to students on campus. Felix-Esparza states that the reminders Seawolf Living sends out is helpful and the events they facilitate are student oriented.

The anonymous student doesn’t think there is much value to Seawolf Living. “I think the videos they upload are fun and creative…I think they could be promoting more resources.”

Seawolf Living offered feedback on student opinions about diversity. They stated they continue to be as diverse as possible in all the work they do. As marketing and communication professionals their job is to listen to feedback, have a dialogue, and make adjustments to further create a more diverse and inclusive campus environment.

This spring semester, Seawolf Living has increased the number of students featured on their Instagram page and the Brandbassador program. They have worked with campus organizations such as The HUB Cultural Center, Associated Students, and Student Involvement to allow students to share their diverse backgrounds and experiences on Seawolf Living.

“We encourage any student to reach out to us to find ways to participate in Seawolf Living, we’d love to include you,” stated Seawolf Living in their response. “We also welcome the opinions shared here and encourage anyone who wants to share additional feedback on Seawolf Living to contact us at seawolfliving@sonoma.edu”