(Left to right) OMA Assistant Director Randy Black at Unity Banquet 2018, speaker Franchesca Ramsey, OMA Director Naomi Sigg, OMA Associate Director of Multicultural Leadership & Programming John Killings, OMA Department Coordinator Toni Chanakas, and poet Carlos Andres Gomez.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs serves the diverse needs of students and enhance the harmony of the multi-ethnic community through the mutual acceptance of all individuals.
Unique cultural programs for African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders are held throughout the year.
Below are some of the programs, initiatives, and student groups sponsored by the office.
African American Society president Arik Stewart (right) awards Jered Butler with the African American Society Scholarship at Unity Banquet.
(Left to right) OMA Associate Director of Multicultural Leadership & Programming John Killings, speaker Franchesca Ramsey, OMA Director Naomi Sigg, and OMA Assistant Director Randy Black at Unity Banquet 2018.
Group photo of graduating students at Unity Banquet 2018.
Students mingling at Unity Banquet.
The annual Unity Banquet & Scholarship Dinner celebrates the academic accomplishments of underrepresented students and graduating seniors at
Case Western Reserve University. The evening also serves as an opportunity to recognize future students and Case community partners.
Diversity 360 is a new campus-wide diversity education program for students, faculty, and staff developed in collaboration between the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Office for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity.
Based on research from higher education and the corporate sector about cross-cultural competency and on results from university climate surveys, the modules will engage participants in learning to:
- Increase capacity to recognize and engage in dialogue across the breadth of differences;
- Deepen understanding of how affiliations in privileged and marginalized groups impact treatment on campus, campus climate and productivity.
- Deepen awareness of types of microaggressions and how they affect experiences on campus and in the local community.
- Discover ways to become a change agent and diversity champion with new knowledge, ideas, and resources about university policies, programs, and best practices.
Diversity 360 includes post-assessment of diversity-related knowledge, as well as, ongoing programming to assist members of the campus community with the goal of creating a welcoming campus climate at CWRU.
The mission of the Sustained Dialogue program is to engage members of the CWRU community in dialogues that cultivate strong, trusting relationships and foster respect for each individual and their ability to contribute to positive change.
The Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative (UDC) is an umbrella organization that aims to support organizations which advocate for the advancement of diversity and inclusion at Case Western Reserve University. The UDC serves as an advocating body for diversity groups, a platform for voicing student diversity concerns, and a resource for organizations in regards to diversity programming.
Voices is a student run organization formed in recognition of the intersection of race and gender, working to address both simultaneously. Students will have informal mentorship opportunities with professionals and graduate students, while building interpersonal relationships. Students will also connect to campus leadership opportunities and career leads.