Many students may have noticed that the Winston-Salem State University homepage has become more diverse. In this case, “diverse” means showing more than just black faces on the site.
Some students feel that the Web site was taking away from the fact that WSSU is a historically black university.
The talk around campus has been about the Web site and its lack of black students displayed. Some students said that many alumni mentioned they were not impressed with the visual changes made to the site.
On the other hand, some students are aware that everyone who attends a Historically Black College or University(HBCU) isn’t black, and that diversity should be encouraged on campus. “I’m a proponent of diversity and I think its good that we want to bring different cultures to WSSU,” said senior Alece Oxendine.
Some students seemed annoyed with the Web site, saying that it seemed as though every time the Web site was accessed, they were seeing less and less black faces. “It brings out an image that WSSU is a diverse institution, but I feel the photos do not represent the true HBCU in WSSU,” said Oxendine.
“If we want to attract people to our university through our Web site then it needs to represent who we are now and our tradition as an HBCU,” Oxendine said.
“It’s just really one of those things I just noticed but really did not pay that much attention to it,” said junior Jamie Hunter. She also says that her mother, was the first one to notice that the Web site’s recent changes.
“The Web site could really help with increasing the diversity, but I have noticed that in the past three years it has increased. Because WSSU is such a great school, the Web site could help with [recruiting] prospective students and increasing the enrollment of diverse students,” said Hunter.
Recently, the main image on the homepage has shifted to a stagnant photo featuring a black female.
WSSU spokesman Aaron Singleton says that the current, singular image is the result of a technical glitch and that the school will continue to strive for diversity.
“There was an attempt to reflect the diversity of our students. When the university decided to make the website more reflective of enrollment,” he said.
“Make no mistake, WSSU is an HBCU.” -Tecarra Sutton contributed to this report.