It can be said that, for the most part, a Christian university will be full of practicing Christians. Those behind the integrity project would like to reinforce what that should look like in the minds of Ouachita students.
The integrity project is a video, poster and writing contest, focusing on a different character trait every year in hopes of encouraging students to think about how they are demonstrating that trait.
“The idea is to engage Ouachita students in thinking about matters of integrity,” said Dr. Byron Eubanks, professor of philosophy and director of the Sutton Center for Integrity. “It seems like plenty of students enjoy editing videos, so we started with that, but with so many great writers and designers, we decided to expand.”
This is the first year for the project, but the hope is to continue for years to come. This year’s theme is respect.
“We wanted to pick something from Ouachita’s mission statement, as well as the student handbook,” Eubanks said. “We chose respect because everybody wants to receive respect from the people around them. If it works well this year, we’ll have the competition again next year.”
At first, respect can seem like a vague topic, but expected student behavior is clearly laid it in the Ouachita student handbook, and a lot of it can be traced back to respect.
“The entries can be based off of personal experience, observation, whatever you need to draw from,” Eubanks said. “How can you respect nature? How can you respect your surroundings? What does it look like for students to respect each other or the faculty, or for the faculty to respect students? Respect may seem vague, but there are specific types that can be covered.”
Prizes will be awarded to the best videos, posters and articles submitted to the contest. The entries will be judged by a group of alumni, and students will be able to vote for their favorite piece.
“First place for the video category is $600, with the people’s choice being $300,” Eubanks said. “For the posters and opinion pieces, first prize is $400 and people’s choice is $200. Even though only six entries will be receiving cash prizes, most of the entries will be used to spread the idea of respect across campus. We’ll make print copies of the posters to hang up, submit the opinion pieces to the Signal and post the videos to the online Signal.”
“Being a Ouachitonian comes with a lot of responsibilities aside from being a student and going to class,” said senior communications major Nicole McPhate, a member of the project’s leadership team. “Portraying the mission statement in your own life is more important than any prizes. This is a great way to get involved and represent what our school stands for.”
Entries are due March 7. To view a PDF with more information and complete rules, click here.
