Campus Starship food delivery robots are wearing new wraps that honor the nine programs on the Corvallis campus that focus on identify-affirming community and belonging. There are two robots for each of Diversity & Cultural Engagement’s seven cultural resource centers, as well as SOL LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network and the Holcomb Center for Military and Veterans Resources.
The 18 wrapped robots feature art and information about each program and have QR codes that link to their Instagram accounts. The robots are intended to highlight how the centers bring value to Oregon State University.
In addition to the QR code, the robots are also adorned with art relating to the individual centers. For example, the robots highlighting the Centro Cultural César Chávez are wrapped with images from the mural in the centro’s gathering hall.
“It’s important, particularly in this political moment when folks might not be feeling seen or celebrated or welcomed into community,” said Whitney Archer, interim director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement at OSU. “It may be a simple intervention but it’s something that does allow the university to show its values. They could have chosen anyone to amplify but they chose the cultural centers to uplift.”
The images and messaging for each of the cultural centers were gathered over a months-long process including center directors and students, and Archer said the collaborative process was very important, because it allowed each center to highlight its unique qualities and make sure the robot wraps reflected those accurately.
“We wanted a very visible and dynamic way of educating the campus community about what each of the cultural centers offers,” said Burt Rosen, director of marketing innovations with University Relations and Marketing. “The cultural centers are a vital part of Oregon State, and we wanted to highlight that in a fun way. Because the robots travel all across campus many times a day, they provide a great traveling canvas to display important information about the centers.”
Archer thinks it’s important that the robot wrap central message is “You are welcome here.” Since the launch in early February, Archer has been getting reports as people spot the robots representing different centers. They have spotted a few themselves but haven’t seen them all in the wild yet.
“Even just them rolling around with that message says something,” Archer said. “Those little reminders can go a long way, especially for people feeling an extreme sense of isolation. We may not be able to totally quantify its impact, but how can you come across one of these and not feel the sense of inclusion in the message?
“I hope this nudges someone to come through the door of a center for the first time. It’s intimidating to walk in the first time, even for those folks who share the identity of the focus of the center. Anything we’re doing to have an invitation into community is a good thing.”
By Theresa Hogue, photos by Darryl Lai
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com