RSO Spotlight: A Mile in Our Shoes

Story by Ricardo Martin

Photo courtesy of Kayla Kelly

With the fall 2020 semester underway, many registered student organizations (RSOs) are still trying to figure out how to operate in the midst of a global pandemic. A Mile in Our Shoes (AMOS) is one of those organizations.

AMOS is an organization dedicated to providing insight into the experiences of underrepresented groups and raising awareness on issues affecting such groups. Their purpose is to allow students to see the world from the perspective of others and encourage them to promote change on Central Michigan University’s campus, and within themselves.

CMU senior  and president of AMOS Kayla Kelly from Detroit, is planning out how her organization can meet CMU’s health guidelines, while giving students the opportunity to get the most out of their experience as members of AMOS.

“We are still planning out the best way to get information out to our members,” Kelly said.

Kelly has also been talking to other RSO presidents and her organization’s advisor to figure out the best way to approach this semester.

AMOS is no stranger to working with other on-campus organizations. They often collaborate with organizations such as the NAACP, the Volunteer Center, and Multicultural Academic Student Services to put on various cultural events. One of their biggest events is the Tunnel of Oppression, where students have an opportunity to learn about the country’s history of discrimination against minorities.

Unfortunately, many of these in-person events have had to be cancelled, forcing Kelly and her executive board to get creative with how they want to put on events this semester.

Kelly says they have considered moving events off campus, or doing them virtually. She has also considered inviting more speakers to come in since it is easier for them to talk to students online rather than having them come to campus.

They are also looking for new ways to fundraise, such as doing a can food drive or handing out promotional flyers. However, these are just ideas, and nothing is for certain yet.

As for her members, Kelly expressed how many of them were still excited for the semester, despite some of the uncertainty.

“They’ve been adjusting pretty well, though a lot of them still have questions,” Kelly said.

As for the future, Kelly explained she plans on taking things slow, even if the university eases up on some of their guidelines and restrictions.

“We don’t want to jump back into normal, I think we would still try to do things slowly,” Kelly said.

Even with less in-person interactions and events this semester, Kelly and her members are hopeful and believe they can still have a productive semester.