The WOBN 97.5 radio station is hosting Erase The Hate Day on Friday, April 4 to help combat negativity and hate at Otterbein.
The event first took place last year. It included an hour-long program aired on the station, consisting of interviews with people like Chief Diversity Officer Frank Dobson, WOBN adviser Eric Jones and students from the rookie radio class.
This program followed an incident where a bulletin board, consisting of pictures of the rookie radio class, was defaced by scratching out the faces of Black students.
While the WOBN staff acted swiftly when this was found, it still left a lasting impact.
Current station manager Ruby Jackson, who was in the rookie radio class during the bulletin board incident, is working on more outreach for this year's Erase The Hate Day.
“I want it just to remind people that they're not alone,” said Jackson. She started planning this event in January with the hopes of including everyone on campus.
While the event for last year was only one hour, Jackson has made it an all-day event for the station this year.
On the live radio, shows like Garett’s Variety Hour and Sophia’s Sleepover will air to help keep the on-air presence going all day. Other things to look forward to include a re-run of the previous year's broadcast. Another segment to look forward to are street interviews conducted at the Courtright Memorial Library by Jackson and Austin Cable, host of the Cardinal Minute.
“We’re just trying to get more people involved,” said Cable, continuing with Jackson's statement that this year’s main goal is to bring awareness to Otterbein’s community.
Many who are participating in Erase the Hate Day find this time more important than ever with federal funding being threatened for colleges with DEI programs.
“We want to provide a unifying message, especially in times like this when students are often confronted with divisive messages,” said Jones.
Racism and discrimination on Otterbein's campus are issues that affect all students. No matter how difficult, the university must take responsibility for these hate crimes.
“It’s a predominantly white institution. When people first come here, it is kind of intimidating. So to see hate crimes being done, … it’s really disheartening,” said Jackson.
WOBN hopes to do its part in covering these serious situations, recognizing the importance of facing discrimination head-on.
