Five students and several faculty and staff will serve on the university’s first-ever Diversity Council, aimed at promoting minority groups and ethnicities on campus.

13 members will serve on the Diversity Council. Five of the students on the council hold respective roles on campus.

“This council will be invaluable as we generate ideas and evaluate initiatives designed to foster a more racially and culturally supportive and diverse environment at our university,” Schubert said in an email.

Anthony Egbo, Jael Morel, Alyah Edwards, Elizabeth Asaolu and Natalie Alvarez will serve as members in 2020.

Egbo, junior psychology major from Richmond, Texas, serves as the student-athlete representative on the council. When offered the position on the council, Egbo was more than willing to serve.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” Egbo said. “I’m truly honored. That is the best word I can use to describe how I feel, just honored. This council, I truly believe, has the propensity to better ACU for generations to come long after I’m long gone, and that’s something I really look forward to.”

Egbo serves as a cornerback on the Wildcats’ football squad, and believes that he should be able to maintain a strong commitment to both his team and the council.

“One of the things that I love about our football program and our coaches here is that they care truly about you,” Egbo said. “That is how up to this point I have been able to plug myself into various different activities, programs, organizations and clubs along with football and school with success. They understand the magnitude of this council, they know what it means to me and they will make sure that I am in a position to succeed on and off the field.”

Morel, junior digital entertainment technology major from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, serves as the president of the International Students Association.

“ISA is a family and a safe space where different people, cultures, skin colors and nationalities can come together and express themselves, sharing their cultures between each other and to the ACU community,” Morel said. “My role in the association as president is to help organize and create an environment where everyone feels welcome being themselves and sharing their culture.”

ISA also hosts many events during the semester, including Ethnos and a small group Chapel Thursdays at 11 a.m.

“I encourage you to attend or be part of one of the foreign acts,” Morel said. “It is amazing how much you can learn about other cultures by having fun and being part of an act.”

Edwards, a senior speech pathology major from San Antonio, serves as president of the Black Student Union.

“I want to educate the faculty on the council and serve as a representative of the BSU members,” Edwards said. “I know I can not be a voice for every Black student, but I want to be able to use my position for good.”

Asaolu, a junior psychology major from Irving, is president of the African Students Association, but encourages all ACU students to join if interested.

“The African Students Association is a safe space for everyone regardless of if you’re of African descent or if you’re someone who seeks to learn about the various cultures that exist in Africa today,” Asaolu said. “As president, my goal is to oversee that my team and I are promoting a welcoming community through ASA as well as educating people about African history.”

Alvarez could not be reached for comment.

Faculty members on the council are Daniel Garcia, Dr. Steven Moore and Dr. Ramonica Scott. Roz Evans, a parent and alumna; Ryan Bowman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs; and Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, will also be on the council. Dr. Stephanie Hamm, ACU’s chief diversity officer, and Schubert will co-chair the group.

The council’s first meeting is slated for Aug. 3.