Diversity is more than just black and white.

“Part of your social identity is not just race,” Associate Director of Office of Multicultural Programs and Services (OMPS) Marc Cordon (‘99C, ‘00MPH) said. “It’s gender, it’s sexuality, it’s religion, socioeconomic class. All of those factors come in to create who you are and how you perceive Emory.”

This week marks the 30th anniversary of OMPS as well as the beginning of Unity Month, an annual celebration of diversity through workshops, discussions and activities organized by OMPS.

The “30 Years of Multicultural Programs” exhibit, currently on display in the Dobbs University Center (DUC), contains archived news articles, photographs and posters that chronicle the history of the office.

Cordon, who organizes Unity Month, said that although events such as the Unity Ball and a keynote address are always included, this year has seen an increased student interest for participation.

“Every year it’s new and it’s fresh,” he said.

Groups participating in this year’s Unity Month include the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life, Volunteer Emory, Hindu Students Association, the Office of Religious Life and Student Government Association.

College senior and Multicultural Outreach and Resources at Emory (MORE) Mentor Advisor Mariam Karamali said, “Its not just OMPS participating ... it’s the whole school and different organizations participate and bring different aspects to Unity Month. It’s figuring out what front you can unite on and that’s pretty cool.”

Office Expansion

OMPS began in 1979 as the Office of Minority Student Programs. Lelia Crawford was appointed as the founding director of the division, which mainly served the needs of black students, who comprised at the time the University’s largest minority population at 3 percent.

“African American students, faculty and staff strongly advocated for a number of structural changes and additions to Emory University, one of which was an office to work with African American students in meeting their needs and serve as an advocate and change agent within the University,” Crawford wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel.

In a Sept. 25, 1979 issue of the Wheel, Crawford said, “the United States is multicultural, and Emory should move in that direction.”

Crawford, who currently serves as the director of the Office of International Student and Scholar Programs, established many programs that continue today such as peer mentoring and the Delores P. Aldridge Excellence Awards.

Donna Wong, the current director of OMPS, said that tutoring programs such as ePass were originally were created by OMPS to “support the retention of minority students” and were taken over by the University in 2002.

In 1990, the official name of the office was changed to the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, as it remains today.

“One of the reasons for making it a separate unit ... was so that it could serve the increasing number of, not only African-American students, but all students of color,” Crawford wrote.

Since 1979, Emory’s non-white student population has grown nine times over, from under 5 percent in 1979 to more than 40 percent today.

“As the number of students of color has grown so has the program, including the size of the staff, the number of and diversity of programs, and resources,” Crawford wrote. “The Office has truly been dynamic in its growth.”

From 1988 to 2006, OMPS was housed in the Woodruff Residential Center.

“We felt geographically marginalized,” Wong said.

In 2007, OMPS relocated to its current location in the Dobbs University Center, which Wong described as “prime real estate.”

Serving Students Since 1979

OMPS acts as an umbrella organization for more than 40 student groups ranging from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to the Latino Students Organization and AHANA.

OMPS also organizes the Issues Troupe, which uses interactive theater to stimulate dialogue about social issues; MORE, designed to help freshman students acclimate to college life; and several other programs that aim to foster a more diverse campus.

“We have diverse groups, but we don’t have the community that brings people together to share deeply about identity and inequity, so our office promotes cross-cultural interaction and cross-cultural competency, which is awareness, knowledge and skills,” Wong said.

Wong said that the office also acts as a communication point between students and the University. Most recently, Wong said issues of preferred vendors and ethnic foods had come to students’ attention.

“There is a need in celebrating cultural and religious traditions,” Wong said.
Wong said that OMPS worked behind the scenes to reach a solution where groups could bring in ethnic foods for events such as Muslim Student Association’s Fast-a-Thon and Hindu Student Association’s Diwali.

But while more than 50 multicultural organizations are active at Emory today, fewer than 10 existed only 20 years ago. Wong attributes this change to a more diverse student population and, more importantly, a willingness for students to connect with those who may not be in their specific racial group or socioeconomic class.

“The student population has changed to be much more diverse and because of that we’ve developed new initiatives to really get the message across that diversity includes everyone,” Wong said.

Unity Month began as Unity Week in 1991 under Vera Dixon Rorie, who served as the OMPS director from 1989 to 2006.

The change from a week-long celebration to a month-long period is a “reflection of the growth of cultural organizations that wanted to be a part,” said Wong.

Since the inception of OMPS, Wong said that proactive programming has been important regardless of the size, location or age of the office.

Programming, such as town hall meetings, “help to foster dialogue about race, race relations and being respectful with each other,” Wong said.

Wong said that the Transforming Community Project, created in 2005, was instrumental in offering opportunities for community-dialogue groups.

“It brings [students, faculty and staff] together to look at the history of race at Emory.”

Crossroads Creation

Cordon said that a more diverse Emory is reflected not just in the percentage of the non-white student body, but also in the way that students from different backgrounds connect.

He said that the Crossroads program, created in 2004, reflects this shift in the way Emory views diversity.

Wong said the program was created when students voiced concerns about the lack of interaction between racial groups.

“A group called Harmony went to President Wagner and requested a pre-orientation retreat to talk about diversity and how we need to build a more cross-cultural community,” Wong said.

Cordon said that the program was created “because it was time to be created.”
“We wanted to look at diversity from the standpoint of interaction and the opportunity to make meaningful connections,” he added.

College sophomore Christy Turner said that the Crossroads program helped her to meet some of her best friends and encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone.

“Crossroads was my introduction to Emory life,” she said. “It prepared me for taking advantage of the diversity at Emory.”

Turner said that the Crossroads programming helped her to look beyond stereotypes and to embrace the diversity that Emory offers.

“Emory prides itself on having such a diverse school,” Turner said. “You can have a diverse population, but if everyone only hangs out with their own ethnic groups, then you’re not taking advantage of this opportunity.”

Turner said that OMPS’ mission is to make sure that students don’t “stay inside their own boxes.”

College freshman Lindsey Coyle echoed Turner’s enthusiasm about Crossroads and OMPS.

Coyle said that even though she didn’t know what to expect from Crossroads, she signed up because it seemed like fun.

“I didn’t expect the influence to be so great,” she said.

“I definitely bonded with the people on Crossroads a lot faster than other people. I had known these people for two days, but we were sharing secrets,” Coyle added.

As the popularity of Crossroads grew among students, Cordon said a shorter retreat was added during fall break to accommodate those who could not attend the pre-orientation program.

Cordon said that more than 50 students participated in the pre-orientation Crossroads program and more than 30 participated during fall break.

“We do expect that once you go on Crossroads, you really feel like you can connect to the community,” Cordon said.

Cordon said that Crossroads participants bring up diversity issues in classrooms and residence halls and are able to foster a more welcoming community at Emory.

Thinking Outside the Box

Wong said that students are attracted to Emory not only because of its reputation as a major research liberal arts institution but also because “students want to come to a place where they can take advantage of meeting people from all different backgrounds.”

Coyle said that she did not see much ethnic and racial integration at other schools she visited during her college search.

“At other schools I visited, there was diversity, but it was segregated,” Coyle said.

Coyle said she enjoys that she has many friends from diverse backgrounds.

Wong said that in the future she would like to see an OMPS summer program for incoming freshmen as well as for the broader Atlanta community that is based on the Crossroads model of team-building and learning about diversity and social justice.

Cordon said that OMPS is important because it helps to minimize feelings of “marginalization.”

“The most important thing that we as a community can do is to help our fellow community members feel and know that they’re a part of the community,” Cordon said. “Your individual experience is very important and it’s important for you to tell your story.”

He said that the idea of multiculturalism has shifted from when he was a student in the early ’90s, saying that multiculturalism is no long a “minority issue,” but rather one that affects all students, regardless of background.

“In terms of the word ‘diversity,’ it is very much shifting from this notion that it’s just about people of color to really including everybody in the formula,” Cordon said.

Cordon said that there have been many shifts from when he was a student at Emory and he said that there will probably be many more that no one can predict.

But one thing will remain consistent within OMPS, Cordon said: “Staying close to that core mission of trying to bring people together the best way you can.”

Crawford wrote that although diversity and education about diversity has increased at Emory over the past few decades, Emory is not completely devoid of conflict, stereotypes or misconceptions.

“We are not in a post-racial university, just as we are not in a post-racial society, simply because attitudes have moved forward on the curriculum,” she wrote. “We still have work to do to keep attitudes and behaviors moving toward a just and equitable society.”

— Contact Kate Borger