The Center for Multicultural Services (CMS) at the 向日葵视频;Verne creates and supports programs, services, and resources, dedicated to fostering an environment of exploration, consciousness-raising, and empowerment, as well as collaboration and celebration of the diverse cultural community present. CMS works to create an inclusive and justice-oriented learning community by emphasizing and exploring socio-cultural identity and systems of oppression spanning the individual, community, and institutional levels.
Our Vision
To create, sustain, and nurture a dynamic, inclusive, and just 21st-century learning community.
This mission will be carried out by:
- providing a Center, a 鈥渓iving room鈥� for students to convene, learn, reflect, collaborate, and thrive in;
- supporting students and the university community by encouraging self-discovery and exploration of the relevance of diversity in all its forms to one鈥檚 life and the life of the community;
- providing experiences and knowledge to journey toward becoming culturally proficient;
- coaching students and others working with issues of diversity;
- advocating for equity of inclusion and participation at all levels of the University structure as well as off-campus (for historically marginalized and undocumented students);
- checking assumptions that must be challenged to raise consciousness, and acknowledging that learning is a life-long process; and
- cultivating relationships and collaborative partnerships with surrounding communities.
Programs and Services
The Center for Multicultural Services offers several program resources, including:
- acting as ombudsperson for diversity issues impacting students;
- directing, advising, mentoring, and supporting cultural clubs on campus;
- directing residential or online human relations/diversity retreats for the University of La聽Verne community;
- training Peer Facilitators to lead dialogue groups on substantive human relations issues at diversity retreats and on campus;
- directing the Brothers鈥� Forum Mentoring and Scholarship Program;
- providing multicultural student leadership training;
- sponsoring students to attend leadership forums and conferences;
- providing diversity training/workshops/forums for the campus community;
- providing support and resources to undocumented, DACA/Dreamer, and mixed-status students;
- representing and advocating for diversity on various university committees;
- overseeing Black Student Services/Black Scholars Success Program:
- Black Community Meet and Greet/Events
- Peer Coaches (in process)
- Research Scholars
- Black Alumni Community Mentorship Dinners for Black Residential Scholars (in process)
- Black Student Retreat
- Black Women鈥檚 Retention Program (in development); and
- overseeing the Access Program for foster youth and working in tandem with the Give Something Back scholarship program to provide a full range of support services to program participants
- overseeing the multicultural graduation celebrations, and offering the following cultural sashes: Black-Kente, Latinx Recuerdo and Serape, the Multicultural/Unity in Diversity sash, Middle Eastern/Arabic, Native American/Indigenous, Pacific Islander/Asian American, and Rainbow/Lavender sash