RESPECT magazine has been developed by students for students with support from faculty members Anita Chaudhuri and Rishma Chooniedass. Funded through the Equity Enhancement Fund, the magazine seeks an alternative way to publish different student points of view on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and to develop a respectful and safe environment at UBC Okanagan.
We connected with the student editorial team to explore their perspectives, learnings, and insights from this project.
What does RESPECT stand for?
Like an acrostic poem, RESPECT stands for Representation and Equity in Systemic Practices to Effect Change Today. In simpler words, it represents our desire to give students a space where they feel comfortable sharing their personal experiences in the context of EDI. This allows for students to learn about their peer’s experiences and thus work together to create a more equitable community. All of this is on the basis of our team’s core value: Respect.
What inspired you to launch this project?
UBC has a diverse student population coming from a variety of different backgrounds, as exemplified in our own team consisting of three students all from different parts of the world. These different backgrounds yield a variety of personal experiences which can serve as learning opportunities when shared with the community. We noticed a lack of space for students to creatively share their experiences and were keen to fill that gap through the creation of this magazine.
Individuals are unique, our backgrounds are different, and our perspective on the world is different. In my opinion, equity allows everyone to have equal opportunity to access resources and to be treated fair through procedures by the system. Inclusion is an outcome that ensures diverse individuals feel welcomed and can participate in the community.
Nancy Lu, Peer Review Editor
As a child of a refugee, I have heard of and experienced many forms of discrimination which can have profound effects on an individual’s wellbeing. To me, equity and inclusion is an ongoing effort to modify and reconfigure established systems and policies in order to create a community where all individuals feel valued and respected.
Élise Machado, Submissions and Productions Editor
In a place such as UBC, where diversity can be found at every step one takes, it is very important to recognize it and understand that every single one of us is different; and even more important, that these differences are what makes us exceptional.
Ximena Cayo Barrantes, Marketing and Social Media Manager
Who do you hope to primarily engage through RESPECT?
RESPECT is a student-led, student-facing magazine, accessible to those who wish for a space where they can express themselves and delve into the wonder that is diversity in our community.
What did you learn through the process of working on this project?
We started working on the magazine virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic but were able to stay on track by setting the same goals and reminding each other of our mission. Establishing an online magazine is a new experience for our entire team, but we quickly learned that it is a very collaborative process and that effective teamwork and intentional networking would allow us to be successful.
What surprised you the most through the process of publishing this magazine?
As a new startup, we were very impressed by the student response as well as their desire to participate in any way possible, be it as creators or even volunteer editors. It was also quite impressive to see the amazing quality of the submissions we received. The dedication was palpable in each and every one of the pieces and we thoroughly enjoyed reading the submissions.
How has the publication been received so far?
During our UBC Celebrate Learning Week presentation, we received positive feedback about our project as well as innovative ideas for future steps. The first edition was released at the beginning of June and we will be receiving input from contributors in the form of a survey in early August. We are looking forward to hearing back from them and using their feedback to fine-tune our submission process.
What’s next?
As we gear up for our second issue in fall of 2022, we are very interested in increasing student engagement with submissions and the editorial process. The topic for our second issue is “Practicing Equity” which focuses on practicing, promoting, and creating opportunities to enhance equity and we are keen to get individual as well as collaborative group submissions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team via email (respect.magazine@ubc.ca), visit our website (https://blogs.ubc.ca/respectmagazine/), or follow us on Instagram (@ubc_respect_magazine) for more information on how to get involved.