Letter to the Editor — Ojeda-Leitner: Never lose sight of your mission

Letter+to+the+Editor+--+Ojeda-Leitner%3A+Never+lose+sight+of+your+mission

Last year when I was a graduate senator for SGA, I had the opportunity to see a fellow colleague be recognized for her dedication to creating a healthier WSU in her advocacy to make our campus tobacco-free.

As Dr. Jasmine Douglas went up to receive her recognition, SBP Joseph Shepard remarked that there are always people working hard behind the stages of social change.

I like to view my field, community psychology, as working in the background of social change. We are the toolmakers to creating a better society. My field often reminds me of Ella Baker and her belief that strong people don’t need strong leaders. I believe that a community psychologist’s job is to empower strong leaders.

“Tobacco Free, Wu and Me” was created by strong leaders in the Wichita community who are some of the most passionate people I have ever met. Tara Nolan works tirelessly even beyond campus to encourage tobacco cessation within the city of Wichita and has worked with Dr. Douglas and her research team. Dr. Greg Meissen who is a faculty member of the community psychology program also dedicated time towards this policy change. Eric Maki, former Director of Campus Recreation, became a strong stakeholder, as he also believed in the mission of a healthier campus. Lastly, the undergraduate students dedicated hours to research and asking students on campus about their opinion of becoming tobacco-free.

I am proud of my program. We are a group of talented and innovative students.

Like Dr. Jasmine Douglas, we spend late nights writing literature reviews and finding solutions to societal and public health issues.

We started conversations about gender equality and sex positivity by putting on “The Vagina Monologues.” We were involved in research and social action projects to fight against rape culture on our campus. We provide evaluations to nonprofits and the state government with the vision to make Kansan communities healthier.

I love what I do and I count myself lucky. But I get it. Sometimes we forget why we are here: to make the world a better place.

But we must never lose sight of our passions and our mission. I think Dillon Cullinan should probably do the same.

Because if The Sunflower “holds a high standard of journalistic integrity and will always try to provide every side of a story” (which for the most part is true), then perhaps he should have done his research.

 

Deborah Ojeda-Leitner