All communications produced by Sam Fox School faculty, students, and staff should reflect the University’s vision of diversity and inclusion. Follow the guidelines below when developing internal or external communications, including promotional materials, websites, social media, emails, videos, reports, photography, and presentations.
The Sam Fox School Communications Office is available to help you think through how diversity is represented in your materials. Get in touch with them when you begin your project for advice and review. Contact Emily Hellmuth, Director of Communications, for more information: emilyhellmuth@wustl.edu
WRITE INCLUSIVE STORIES
Craft your text to implicitly or explicitly reinforce the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Make sure your writing is free from language that is biased or may be perceived as biased. Use gender-neutral terms, and ask individuals what pronouns they prefer.
- Guides to avoiding bias in research writing
- People First Language
- Covering LGBTQ stories in the media
- Using gender-inclusive language
CREATE INCLUSIVE VISUALS
Whether you’re designing an exhibition poster, creating a building rendering, or interviewing students for a video, strive to represent a broad range of people across ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, abilities, ages, and appearances. Question what assumptions you make about your audience: what they will be able to access, understand, and be interested in.
- Inside Design (guidance + resources)
- Just Not the Same (stock photography for renderings)
MAKE YOUR CONTENT ACCESSIBLE
When developing website content, be inclusive of those who may access your site with digital assistance. All video should have options for captions to accommodate viewers whose first language is not English or who require visual or hearing assistance. Include written descriptions of all images, including those on social media, to help screen readers capture information. Learn more about alt text for images here.