By Shaunteri Skinner

If you’ve ever felt discriminated against in downtown Athens now’s your chance to tell your story and have a group of people listen to it. The Student Government Association at the University of Georgia wants to present these testimonies as evidence of what they call “inclusivity” problems in Athens. Once it collects all of the information, the association plans to meet with university administrators, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, downtown businesses, and community leaders. The point of this form is to collect data on how often these incidents occur and the race and gender of those involved in them. The survey also asks how these situations made each person feel.

Johnelle Simpson, president of UGA’s Student Government Association, said “We are really still at point A. People know that this is a huge issue. Many of them would agree that we have a problem with inclusivity. We just want to see who is willing to speak up about it and what can be done. We have received testimonies, but we have not actually met with any businesses or government officials. We are still in the process of getting people to speak up. This is not just for people who have issues at the bar scenes or just downtown. It’s really for anyone who has had any conflict anywhere on campus.”

On October 20th the University of Georgia will field another survey. This one will ask students to complete a campus climate survey meant to assess the overall experience of UGA students while at the university. Faculty and staff will also be asked to participate.