The Eagle has published a staff diversity report for the past two years to maintain and improve transparency with the American University community. Spring 2025 Staff Acceptance Survey results indicate that the population of white staffers and staffers with disabilities increased between fall 2024 and spring 2025.
Latinx and Hispanic (previously categorized as Hispanic or Latino in the spring 2024 report), East Asian and LGBTQ+ representation increased since last semester. The population of multiracial staffers decreased in representation by almost half compared to results from the fall 2024 report.
The Eagle used the term “Latinx” in the Spring 2025 Staff Acceptance Survey –AP Style and The Eagle’s style guide says that this term should only be confined to quotations, names of organizations or upon request by the person being interviewed. Latinx is a gender-neutral term some people use instead of Latino and Latina to describe their Latin American origin or ancestry.
In previous diversity, equity and inclusion reports, “Asian” has been one category. Last semester, this category was broken up into several categories: East Asian and South Asian. This semester, a “Southeast Asian” category was added.
Staff diversity report
The data in this report was collected through the Spring 2025 Staff Acceptance Survey, a form all staffers complete to officially accept their position at The Eagle. This semester, The Eagle has 120 staffers in total, compared to 122 staffers in fall 2024.
This is the first time The Eagle has tracked the racial and ethnic diversity of its sections in addition to its overall staff. A majority of The Eagle’s staffers are white. White staffers make up the majority of the News section, The Eagle’s largest section. Latino staffers make up a majority of El Águila, The Eagle’s Spanish-speaking section.
The percentage of multiracial staffers fell by 6.7 percentage points. East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian staffers comprise 13.6 percent of The Eagle’s staff, according to data from the acceptance form. The population of white staffers rose 1.4 percentage points.
Staffers who identify as straight comprise thea majority of The Eagle. The population of straight staffers fell slightly — by 0.4 percentage points. Around 40 percent of staffers identified as LGBTQ+, similar to last fall.
A majority of staffers identify as female, a trend that reflects past semesters and the University’s undergraduate population. Those who identify as female comprise around 62 percent of the University’s full and part-time undergraduate student population, according to AU’s 2024-2025 Academic and Data Reference Book.
More than half of staffers identify as non-disabled. The number of staffers who identify as disabled increased by 4 percentage points from last semester. The percentage of those who chose not to answer increased by 1 percent.
The number of staffers who do not receive financial aid fell 0.5 percentage points from last semester. The number of staffers who received a Federal Pell Grant increased slightly from fall 2024.
The percentage of staffers in the School of Communication remained the same compared to last semester, and the population of students in the School of International Service fell 2 percentage points. Eighteen staffers are in the School of Public Affairs, and six staffers are in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The data accounts for students who have majors and/or minors in more than one school, which explains why the sum is greater than the total number of spring staffers.
This is the second semester The Eagle has included the representation of first-generation students in a DEI report. A first-generation student is a student with no parent or legal guardian who has a completed bachelor’s degree, according to the 2024-2025 Academic and Data Reference Book.
Spring DEI committee efforts
The Eagle’s DEI group meets biweekly on Thursdays and seeks to improve the diversity of staff and coverage. This semester, the DEI group has primarily focused on drafting a report as part of the Archives Project, an internal effort that seeks to acknowledge The Eagle’s harmful coverage in anticipation of The Eagle’s 100th anniversary.
The Archives Project began after an internal discussion within the DEI group. The project was revised this semester and is going to be made public next year.
At the second-to-last meeting, Editor-in-Chief Abby Turner, Administration Editor Owen Auston-Babcock and Sports Managing Editor Penelope Jennings discussed the final layout of The Eagle’s DEI Letter. The editors suggested including an editor’s note at the top of the Letter because it contained publication of hate symbols and usage of anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Black and anti-Asian slurs.
The DEI Letter is a reflection of The Eagle’s mission and desire to constantly improve its coverage and strengthen trust with the University community. The Letter acknowledges that while its publication represents a step in the right direction, there is still work left to be done.
The Letter will not be published this semester– the editors decided on a March 27, 2025 meeting to not rush its publication. The editors thought a more thorough search through the archives and putting even greater care and consideration into the Letter’s wording was warranted.
Inaugural Eagle Advisory DEI committee
Last semester, Turner, DEI and Community Engagement Editor Maya Cederlund and members of the Eagle Advisory Board, composed primarily of alumni of the paper, established an inaugural Eagle Advisory DEI committee. The DEI and Community Engagement Editor maintains contact with campus organizations and looks for language or phrasing that could directly harm or be interpreted as harmful to marginalized communities on campus. The committee will meet three times per year and will evaluate the culture of The Eagle and Eagle Advisory Board regarding DEI efforts. The committee will produce a report of its findings at the end of the academic year.
This article was edited by Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Ariana Kavoossi and Hannah Langenfeld.
