InFUSion and NABJ in a nutshell...

“We say that we are multicultural, and our staff definitely reflects the fact that we are multicultural. I think that it is an important part of covering news, because when you don’t have a multicultural staff, your viewpoint is different,” said Casey Bruce, 21, editor of inFUSion magazine.

The 50^th Anniversary of Desegregation at University of Georgia has opened the eyes of many students to the benefits of diversity and diverse organizations at UGA. InFUSion and the National Association of Black Journalists, abbreviated NABJ, are just two of these organizations that take pride in their diverse membership.

NABJ is a national organization that was founded on UGA’s campus in 1989, in an attempt to provide experience and professional training for young black journalists. Brittany Jones, a senior at UGA who is majoring in broadcast news, is the acting president of NABJ. “It [NABJ] has really helped me to be able to network and know how to be professional, and represent myself in a better manner,” Jones said about her involvement with the group. The UGA chapter of NABJ is particularly successful and has won two National Student Chapter of the year awards.

NABJ celebrated the anniversary by hosting an event called, “Media in the Movement: A push for Change.” The event hosted speakers Bob Furnad and Dr. Bullock, both professors at UGA, and focused on the role media played in desegregation and how media viewed and reported on the events.

The Office of Multicultural Services and Programs also hosts many diverse groups. One of these is called InFUSion, a magazine that works in conjunction with the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs, is particularly interested in bringing new information and educating all students about diversity. “We tend to branch out and want to bring diverse news that is normally not heard into UGA,” said Maggie Siu, 20, a junior majoring in journalism and English. Maggie Siu has been involved with InFUSion since the first semester of her sophomore year, and is now the features editor at the publication.

The magazine has a diverse staff of 56 members, with jobs ranging from writing and editing, to photography and advertising, and many more. The magazine began in 1989 and was originally called, “Kross Kultures.” “It was founded so that minority students at UGA could have a publication in which the news focused on culturally enriched aspects of the university,” said Bruce, the current editor of InFUSion, “Twenty years later we are still focused on making stories unique for the readers.”

Casey Bruce has been involved in InFUSion for 4 years now, and worked her way up to editor. Bruce boasts about the friendly environment and points out the importance of having a culturally diverse group of staff members. InFUSion celebrated the 50^th Anniversary of desegregation along with another group associated with the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs, called the UGA Black Affairs Council. The Black Affairs Council sponsored the Unity Ball, an official event of the desegregation anniversary. Bruce also said that the magazine will have many stories in relation to the anniversary because the theme for the upcoming magazine is, “Cultural Revolution and Evolution.”

“The great thing about infusion is that we don’t require you to have any experience. So if you want to try new things, then I think this is a really great magazine to get involved with,”said Bruce. So whether you are freshman or a seasoned senior, there is no doubt that UGA offers an organization that can help you learn more about diversity and celebrate on this historic anniversary of desegregation.