Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

4
“We need to help produce young people who are critical thinkers and ethical people, socially aware of the disparities of this world and the work that needs to be done to address systemic oppression.” Afifa Benwahoud, Macalester College Dept. Coordinator of Multicultural Life History of the Functional Area Multicultural Student Services originally developed out of a push for increased access to higher education for previously underrepresented student groups. The 1960s and Civil Rights Era saw increased student and community pressure—plus civil rights legislation— demanding increased programs, services, and access for women, students of color, and lowincome students. The first offices were called "Minority Student Services" but the terminology has since shifted to “Multicultural Student Services" or "Multicultural Affairs" as the field has developed (and been pushed) to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ students, international students, and other students of racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Today's practitioners understand that the functional area developed out of a long history of inequity and injustice in higher education, and they work under the belief that a multicultural institution is "one in which the cultures of diverse groups are not merely acknowledged or tolerated but accepted, respected, included, appreciated, and celebrated within the larger institutional culture" (Shuford & Palmer, 2004). Multicultural Student Services Working to “promote systemic change that fosters a multicultural perspective across campus” (Shuford & Palmer, 2004) Goals and functions of Multicultural Student Services: Advocate for changes to policy and campus climate around issues of diversity, equity, and access to resources and opportunities; Promote student access to academic support and services; Provide mentoring, advising, community building opportunities; Facilitate awareness and cultural celebration events; Encourage student identity development and leadership; Offer programs, initiatives, and events that increase overall multicultural awareness, skills, and knowledge on campus; Partner and collaborate with other center or offices on campus (for example, Women’s Centers, Ethnic Studies or Queer Studies departments, International Student Programs, et cetera); Share resources (including space, budget, and organizational affiliation) as needed with other functional areas including Residence Life, Campus Life, the Student Union, et cetera. Foundations and relevant critical theory based in: [Counseling] [Identity development] [Critical race theory] [Intercultural competence] [Social justice work] [Intersectionality] (Student artwork in Macalester College Department of Multicultural Life)

Transcript of Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

Page 1: Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

 

   

● ● ●  

“We  need  to  help  produce  young  people  who  are  critical  thinkers  and  ethical  people,  socially  aware  of  the  disparities  of  this  world  and  the  work  that  needs  to  be  done  to  address  systemic  oppression.”    

−Afifa  Benwahoud,  Macalester  College                                                                  Dept.  Coordinator  of  Multicultural  Life    

● ● ●    

History  of  the  Functional  Area    Multicultural  Student  Services  originally  developed  out  of  a  push  for  increased  access  to  higher  education  for  previously  underrepresented  student  groups.  The  1960s  and  Civil  Rights  Era  saw  increased  student  and  community  pressure—plus  civil  rights  legislation—demanding  increased  programs,  services,  and  access  for  women,  students  of  color,  and  low-­‐income  students.      The  first  offices  were  called  "Minority  Student  Services"  but  the  terminology  has  since  shifted  to  “Multicultural  Student  Services"  or  "Multicultural  Affairs"  as  the  field  has  developed  (and  been  pushed)  to  be  more  inclusive  of  LGBTQ+  students,  international  students,  and  other  students  of  racial,  ethnic,  and  religious  diversity.      Today's  practitioners  understand  that  the  functional  area  developed  out  of  a  long  history  of  inequity  and  injustice  in  higher  education,  and  they  work  under  the  belief  that  a  multicultural  institution  is  "one  in  which  the  cultures  of  diverse  groups  are  not  merely  acknowledged  or  tolerated  but  accepted,  respected,  included,  appreciated,  and  celebrated  within  the  larger  institutional  culture"  (Shuford  &  Palmer,  2004).        

 

Multicultural  Student  Services  Working  to  “promote  systemic  change  that  fosters  a  multicultural  perspective  across  campus”  (Shuford  &  Palmer,  2004)    

 

Goals  and  functions  of                      Multicultural  Student  Services:    

• Advocate  for  changes  to  policy  and  campus  climate  around  issues  of  diversity,  equity,  and  access  to  resources  and  opportunities;  

• Promote  student  access  to  academic  support  and  services;  • Provide  mentoring,  advising,  community  building  opportunities;  • Facilitate  awareness  and  cultural  celebration  events;  • Encourage  student  identity  development  and  leadership;  • Offer  programs,  initiatives,  and  events  that  increase  overall  

multicultural  awareness,  skills,  and  knowledge  on  campus;  • Partner  and  collaborate  with  other  center  or  offices  on  campus  

(for  example,  Women’s  Centers,  Ethnic  Studies  or  Queer  Studies  departments,  International  Student  Programs,  et  cetera);  

• Share  resources  (including  space,  budget,  and  organizational  affiliation)  as  needed  with  other  functional  areas  including  Residence  Life,  Campus  Life,  the  Student  Union,  et  cetera.  

Foundations  and  relevant  critical  theory  based  in:  

[Counseling]  

[Identity  development]  

[Critical  race  theory]  

[Intercultural  competence]  

[Social  justice  work]  

[Intersectionality]  

 

(Student  artwork  in  Macalester  College  Department  of  Multicultural  Life)  

Page 2: Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

   

Professional  Associations  

• ACPA  Coalition  for          Multicultural  Affairs    

• Association  of  Higher  Education  and  Disability  (AHEAD)      

• Consortium  of  Higher  Education  LGBT  Resource  Professionals    

• National  Association  for  Equal  Opportunity  in  Higher  Education  (NAFEO)    

• NASPA  Equity  and  Diversity  Constituent  Groups,  including:    

o African  American  o Asian  Pacific  Islanders    o Disability  Knowledge  

Community  o Gay,  Lesbian,  Bisexual,  

and  Transgender  o Indigenous  Peoples  o Latino/a  o MultiRacial  

   

 

CAS  Standards    

(Standards  for  Multicultural  Student  Programs,  from  the  Council  for  the  Advancement  of  Standards  in  Higher  Education)  

1. Assess  the  needs  of  minority  students  in  selected  areas,  set  priorities  among  those  needs,  and  respond  to  the  extent  that  the  number  of  students,  facilities,  and  resources  permit;    

2. Orient  minority  students  to  the  culture  of  the  institution;      3. Assist  minority  students  to  determine  and  assess  their  

educational  goals  and  academic  skills;      4. Provide  support  resources  to  help  minority  students  achieve  

educational  goals  and  attain  or  refine  academic  skills  necessary  to  perform  adequately  in  the  classroom;    

 5. Promote  the  intellectual,  career,  social,  and  moral  development  

of  the  students;    6. Promote  and  deepen  each  minority  student’s  understanding  of  

his  or  her  own  culture  and  heritage;    7. Promote  and  deepen  majority  students’  understanding  of  their  

unique  cultures  and  heritages;    8. Provide  training  in  leadership  skills  and  other  personal,  social  

skills  for  minority  students  and  those  seeking  to  assist  them;      9. Offer/identify  appropriate  minority  mentors  and  role  models.    

 

Challenges  of  Multicultural  Student  Services    

   

 

Sustaining  or                            é  institutional  commitment  to  

addressing  minority  concerns  and  

changing  campus  culture  

Challenging  the  perception  that  

multicultural  work  can  or  should  only  be  done  by  one  

office    

Always  under-­‐  

resourced  

Developing  effective  retention  programs  

Developing  curricula  that  are  reflective  of  the  diverse  student  

population,  as  well  as  incoming  populations  

Merging  racial  and  gender  issues  

Assisting  under-­‐  prepared  students  

Insights  shared  in  Shuford  and  Palmer  (2004)  and  personal  interviews  

Growing  student  resiliency  

Ensuring  student  safety  

Can’t  reach  all  students  

Page 3: Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

Afifa  Benwahoud                          Dept.  Coordinator  of  Multicultural                                  Life  at  Macalester  College                              

                                                                                       What  do  you  like  about  this  work?  “It  helps  me  affirm  and  claim  my  various  identities.  It  helps  me    to  explore,  analyze,  and  be  critical  of  my  identities,  biases,  privileges.  It  helps  me  see  my  strengths  and  be  open  to  others  and  the  world”  (A.  Benwahoud,  personal  communication,  October  9,  2015).    

 Kong  Her  Multicultural  Student  Services    

  Coordinator  at  Century  College  

                                                                                                                  Who  is  drawn  to  this  work?    “Those  who  are  interested  in  creating  and  maintaining  an  environment  that  promotes  cultural  understanding  across  campus  and  are  dedicated  to  serve  underrepresented  students  by    engaging  in  and  supporting  the  learning,  success,  and  development  of  each  individual”  (K.  Her,  personal  communication,  October  2,  2015).    

 Santos  Martinez  Director  of  Multicultural  Affairs                              at  Metropolitan  State  University  

What  do  you  dislike  about  this  work?  “I  dislike  not  being  able  to  completely  give  students  one  hundred  percent  of  my  time  because    we  serve  so  many  students  and  we  are  under-­‐staffed  and  under-­‐resourced”  (S.  Martinez,  personal  communication,  October  8,  2015).    

 Sang  Yang  Dir.  of  Center  for  Asian  American  Affairs,  Multicultural  Affairs  Office,  MN  State  University  Mankato  

What  skills  are  critical  for  this  work?  “Practitioners  need  to  be  student-­‐centered.  They  have  to  put  students’  needs,  interests,  and  values  first,  to  allow  students  to  develop  and  grow  to  be  successful      in  higher  education.  Practitioners  need  to  be  open-­‐minded,  active  listeners”  (S.  Yang,  personal  communication,  October  15,  2015).  

 

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Multicultural  Affairs  Office  2014  Day  of  the  Dead  celebration  at  Minnesota  State  University  Mankato)  

Local  Practitioners  in    Multicultural  Student  Services  

 

Say  their  work  revolves  around  issues  of:    

• Equity  and  access    

• Nondiscrimination    

• Safe  campus  climate    

• Compliance  with  state  and  federal  legislation        (for  example,  Title  IX,  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act,  etc.)    

• Cultural  awareness    and  celebration    

• Students’  sense  of  inclusion,  social  integration,  and  community    

• Advocacy,  support    

• Creating  a  campus-­‐wide  multicultural  perspective    

 

 

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

 

                 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                   

           

 

Page 4: Presentation Sample--Functional Area Overview

 

Arminio,  J.  (2008).  The  Role  of  multicultural  student  programs  and  services.  CAS  standards  contextual  statement.  Retrieved  from  http://www.shoreline.edu/sba-­‐archive/doc/cas/roleofmulticulturalstuprg.pdf  

Council  for  the  Advancement  of  Standards  in  Higher  Education.  (2006).  CAS  self-­‐assessment  guide  for  multicultural  student  programs.  Washington,  DC:  Arminio,  J.      

Gorski,  P.  C.  (2015).  Getting  started:  Respect  activity.  In  Critical  multicultural  pavilion  (awareness  activities).        Retrieved  from  http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/activity1.html    

Marcy,  M.  (2004).  When  diversity  and  dollars  collide:  Challenges  for  higher  education.  Innovative  Higher  Education,  28(3).  Retrieved  from  http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:IHIE.0000015108.11519.08#/  

Shuford,  B.  C.,  &  Palmer,  C.  J.  (2004).  Multicultural  Affairs.  In  F.  J.  D.  MacKinnon  &  Associates  (Eds.),  Rentz’s  student  affairs  practice  in  higher  education  (218-­‐238).  Springfield:  Charles  C.  Thomas  Publisher,  Ltd.  

Multicultural  Student  Success  Coordinator  The  College  of  St.  Scholastica,  Duluth,  MN  

 The  College  of  St.  Scholastica  seeks  a  student-­‐centered  individual  with  a  desire  to  engage  diverse  student  populations.  The  Multicultural  Student  Success  Coordinator  for  the  Office  of  Diversity  and  Inclusion  works  collaboratively  with  the  Director  of  Diversity  and  Inclusion  to  provide  programs  and  services  that  support  the  diverse  needs  of  underrepresented  student  populations.  These  programs  and  services  aim  to  continually  improve  academic  success  and  overall  student  experiences  thereby  increasing  retention,  graduation  rates  and  overall  student  satisfaction.    Key  Responsibilities:  • Work  closely  with  Director  in  all  programming  &  communication  plans  targeted  at  underrepresented  populations.  • Network  &  counsel  targeted  populations  &  assist  in  coordinating  support  services  to  aid  in  retention.  • Supervise  implementation  of  supportive  programs  and  services.  • Assist  Director  in  campus  climate  and  student  experience  assessment.  • Collaborate  with  campus  partners  &  departments  with  diversity  training  to  improve  student  experience  for  

underrepresented  student  populations.  • Recruitment  of  students  from  diverse  backgrounds.  • Provide  financial  aid,  scholarship  and  personal  finance  advising,  monitoring,  and  education.    Required  Qualifications:  • Bachelor's  degree  required.  Preferred  Master's  degree  in  Education,  Counseling,  Higher  Education  or  related  field.  • Knowledge  of  the  needs  of  underrepresented  students.  • Ability  to  build  strong  relationships  with  students  from  underrepresented  populations.  • Knowledge  and  ability  to  follow  confidentiality  and  ethical  guidelines  necessary  within  the  profession.  • Effective  written  and  verbal  communication  skills.  • Some  evening  and  weekend  work  required.  • Previous  project  coordination  experience  with  underrepresented  populations  in  Student  Affairs  or  higher  

education  student  support  services.  • Ability  to  speak  a  second  language.  • Experience  in  college  admissions,  advising,  counseling  or  student  life  is  highly  desirable.    For  details  and  to  apply,  visit  www.csshrjobs.com.  The  College  of  St.  Scholastica  is  an  equal  opportunity  employer  committed  to  enriching  education  and  promoting  opportunity  through  a  culturally  diverse  faculty,  staff,  student  body.  

Job  Announcement    

References