Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at The University of Chicago

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Alumni Newsletter | Spring 2007

In the summer of 2005, the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) joined with the University of Chicago Alumni Association to create a quarterly Alumni Newsletter to update alumni of color on diversity initiatives from OMSA and the University, as well as offer information that will assist alumni in engaging and connecting with the University community.

WHAT’S NEW?

Welcome Back!! Spring 2007!  

OMSA/Amandla Relocation... Updates on 5710

A house now being renovated at 5710 South Woodlawn and projected for occupancy in late 2007 will be the new home for the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA), Amandla Student Center, and LGBTQ Resource Center.  The house will be a student-centered space that will enhance the overall campus experience for students of color and LGBTQ students and will serve as a vibrant hub for students to congregate together, join in programming and community-building, and work closely with staff from the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) and the LGBTQ Resource Center, who will be housed in the building as well.

The space includes a large lounge for events, programs, and socializing, a small study lounge, offices for related student organizations and student programming, meeting and storage spaces, a kitchenette, resource library and common computer resources, and office space for OMSA and the LGBTQ Resource Center on the second and third floors.

If you would like to learn more on this project and how you can be helpful in the final phase of development please contact Ana Vazquez, Deputy Dean/Director of OMSA at avazquez@uchicago.edu, 773-702-2724.  We look to forward to welcoming our alums back to campus in our new home at 5710 S. Woodlawn during the 07-08 academic school year!

Newest Addition to OMSA Staff

Meet the newest OMSA staff members by visiting http://omsa.uchicago.edu/about/staff.shtml: 

New VPDOS Announced:

Kimberly Goff-Crews, currently Dean of Students at Wellesley College, has been appointed Vice-President and Dean of Students in the University.  Kim was identified through a national search and was the enthusiastic choice of the search committee. Kim has built a very strong record of accomplishment at Wellesley and in her previous positions at Lesley University and Yale.  She is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.

She begins her position here on July 1, 2007, Kim will be a member of the President's Executive Staff and will provide leadership and strategic direction for services and programs supporting graduate and College students' academic success and personal development.  Under her supervision will be the Office of Career Advising and Planning Services, the University Community Service Center, Student Counseling and Resources Service, the Office of Graduate Affairs, Health Affairs, Campus Dining Services, the University House System, the Office of Minority Student Affairs, the Office of International Affairs, the Department of Physical Education and Athletics, the University Registrar, the Office of the Bursar, the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities, and the Office of Student Safety and Security.  In fulfilling her responsibilities, she will in addition work closely with the Deans of the Divisions and Schools and their offices. 

New Civility Website:

The University Of Chicago launched a new website in September, 2006 (http://www.civility.uchicago.edu/) that informs students who have experienced harassment or discrimination on campus of the resources and support available to them.  This initiative was led by Ana Vazquez, Deputy Dean/Director of OMSA, along with a working group of senior VPDOS and College administrators. 

OMSA Annual Report

This year saw the creation and release of the first-ever OMSA Report.  The OMSA Report was released for the academic year 2005-2006 and included recent statistics on the enrollment of students of color at the University of Chicago, results from our 2006 Campus Climate Survey, and notes on all of our new student programs.  It included vital information on the "Straight Thuggin' Ghetto Party," the major on-campus racial incident which occurred in 2005 and received national news coverage.  It also included a very long list of thank-yous to all of our supporters.  We couldn't be where we are without them!

During the 2005-2006 academic year, OMSA sponsored or co-sponsored 101 events.  OMSA also created many new programs and services. These included the Graduate and Professional Series (a series of lectures), the development of two student boards (the Advisory Board and the Allocation Board), a new student mentoring program, a new academic support grant, and the Graduate Student Research Brown Bag series. OMSA also carried over and enhanced many successful programs and services from the 2004-2005 year, including the Emergency Grant, the UC Identities forum, the Amandla Lectures series, Martin Luther King Week, and Diversity in the Workplace.

In addition to this, OMSA initiated and coordinated diversity training throughout the University's Office of the Vice-President and Dean of Students. The goal was to ensure that all staff under the VPDoS office possessed a high level of understanding on diversity and students of color issues.

The OMSA Campus Climate Survey and the OMSA VPDoS Diversity Training were just two exciting events in a year of growth and success. In 2005-2006 a new campus climate tracking system was initiated within OMSA to better assess ongoing climate issues within the University. OMSA also began to gather enrollment data in order to further understand the student body. Analysis of this information will result in a new focus on retention of students of color for the 2006-2007 year.

The OMSA Report will soon be available through our Web site.  There, you may view it in PDF format and discover what we've been up to, the latest on how we are supporting diversity and serving students of color, and some of the most major statistics and news impacting students of color at the University.

New Diversity Initiative: The OMSA Race Studies Grant

Launched in November 2006, the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) Race Studies Grant provides financial support to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students of color to undertake scholarly projects exploring the multifaceted nature of race, race relations, ethnicity, and/or culture within the University of Chicago, the larger City of Chicago community, or Higher Education. The OMSA Race Studies Grant is a maximum $3,600 award allocated over three quarters. Our very first applicant pool contained 12 students: 3 undergraduate and 9 graduate students. 7 awards, totaling over $21,000, were given on December 15th!

Chicago Multicultural Connection (CMC)

Call for Mentors!  The Chicago Multicultural Connection (CMC), a career-focused mentoring program, seeks passionate and motivated UC alum to serve as career mentors for the 2007-2008 academic year!  CMC matches undergraduate students of color with alumni, faculty, staff or graduate students who share similar career interests and goals. Along with one-on-one mentorship, the program provides career and academic workshops as well as social and cultural events throughout the year.  On-going mentor training and support is provided.

In the 2007 winter academic quarter, CMC sponsored an outing to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and hosted dinner at Cuernavaca Restaurant in Pilsen.  In addition, the program staff coordinated two workshops on surviving graduate school and co-sponsored a faculty-student dialogue with Damon Phillips, Associate Professor of Organizations & Strategy in the Graduate School of Business. 

For more information or to sign-up as a mentor, please contact Robin Graham via email at rgraham1@uchicago.edu or visit http://omsa.uchicago.edu/mentorship/.

Ana Castillo at UChicago!

Ana Castillo, renowned Chicana poet and playwright, visited the University of Chicago on April 17th under the auspices of the Office of Minority Student Affairs and the University Theater for a discussion and book signing which followed a dramatic reading of Psst...I Have Something To Tell You, Mi Amor.

In Psst..., Ana Castillo tells the story of the 1989 torture and rape of Sister Dianna Ortiz by U.S.-sponsored Guatemalan forces. Sister Dianna's ordeal began when her kidnapper said, "Hello, my love. We have some things to discuss."

For more information on this event, please contact Tamilia Reed in the Office of Minority Student Affairs at tamdenre@uchicago.edu or visit http://omsa.uchicago.edu/.

FALL & WINTER QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:

OMSA Events

The Office of Minority Student Affairs initiated New Student Brunch in response to growing undergraduate student demand for informal spaces where first years could learn more about each other, share experiences and ideas, and engage with the OMSA staff. At 10:00am on Sunday, September 17th over 50 undergraduate students filled the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. Perhaps the most enriching part of the experience for incoming students was the unique opportunity the event provided to speak candidly about race with peers and sensitive administrators. Due to the success of this event, we plan to continue New Student Brunch in Fall 2007!

Hosted at the School for Social Service Administration on Thursday, October 5th, staff, faculty, and students made the long trip across the midway to celebrate the start of a new academic year with OMSA. Speakers included former Provost Richard Saller, Deputy Provost Kenneth Warren, and Ana Vazquez, Deputy Dean of Students in the University. In addition to offering students an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the University's administrative staff, OMSA reported on the 2005-2006 academic year.

The Amandla Faculty-Student Dialogue Series proffered an informal opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to connect with UChicago faculty of color. November's series installment featured Ka Yee Lee, Associate Professor of Chemistry. Points of engagement included her professional trajectory, the challenges of being a family woman in the academy, and her current research initiatives. January featured both Associate Professor Damon Phillips of the GSB and Assistant Professor Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen of the Biological Sciences Division!

Due to a growing interest among students of color for an opportunity to candidly engage their peers on issues surround race, culture, and ethnicity, OMSA re-branded UCIDentities in Fall 2006 transforming the program into CORE. Since then, current graduate students and University staff have led student groups of 6 to 15 people in profound discussions about life on campus and off campus as a person of color. Our Fall Quarter session was led by Tehama Lopez, a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science. Winter sessions included Marcelle Medford, Ph.D. Student in Sociology, Ainsley Lesure, Ph.D. Student in Political Science, and Rovana Popoff, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science.

The Memorial Service and Reception closed out the week of events; over 1,700 university and community members turned out for the service. The keynote address at this year's MLK Memorial Service on Monday, January 15th was delivered by Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP at noon in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. For additional information on the week's festivities, visit http://mlk.uchicago.edu/.

Diversity in the Workplace was a great success this year with over 70 alumni and students of color attending.  Several alumni reported that they not only enjoyed the interaction with current students, but also welcomed the opportunity to network and reconnect with other alumni of color. The evening's events featured a panel discussion, dinner and a dessert reception and included alumni in the fields of academia, law, business, medicine, government and public service. 

If you would more information about this event or to find out how to participate next year, please contact Robin Graham via email at rgraham1@uchicago.edu or by phone at (773) 834-6826.

Culturally-oriented Recognized Student Organizations at the University of Chicago have been hosting cultural shows for nearly 30 years. During the 2006-2007 academic year, a total of four shows have been executed to date. The Chinese Undergraduate Student Association (CUSA) unveiled Wu on January 13th, a production based on the dramatic life story of Wu De Tian, the only woman in Chinese history to ever attain the title of Emperor. The Annual Eid Dinner took place on February 10th. A product of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), the Dinner included a lecture by Chaplain James Yee who spoke on human rights in Islam. On February 17th, the Korean Student Organization (KSO) focused on the political and cultural struggles between North and South Korea. The Winter Quarter cultural show season was capped by Citylights Chicago 2007: Stand Up for Singapore on February 24th, a Singaporean and Malaysian Student Union production (SAMSU) featuring actor and comedian Mr. Hossan Leong!

Spring Quarter cultural shows began on March 31st with the South Asian Student Association's Maya, followed by the African and Caribbean Student Association's Envision Our Roots on April 7th. The cultural shows for the Organization of Black Students, the Organization of Latin American Students, PanAsia, and Samahan will take place on April 14th, April 21str, April 23rd, and May 5th respectively.

For cultural show dates, times, and locations, please contact Tamilia Reed in the Office of Minority Student Affairs at tamdenre@uchicago.edu or visit http://omsa.uchicago.edu/.

What's ahead for SPRING QUARTER 2007

 

The OMSA Alumni Newsletter is a joint project of the Office of Minority Student Affairs and the University of Chicago Alumni Association. Please send your comments and suggestions to omsa@uchicago.edu