Multicultural Resource Center spring 2019

This quarter the Multicultural Resource Center hosted a number of large-scale events to serve the campus community, including:

Martin Luther King Jr. Week of Welcome 2019

This week-long series of events included daily events geared toward community service, promotion of diversity and inclusivity, and zero discrimination and included:

• A kickoff event Jan. 25 for the Zine Challenge, a contest to create a self-published piece of text and or art to demonstrate how students see discrimination on Binghamton University. Instructions and materials were provided to students and the contest prompt was revealed.
• The MLK Day of Service that allowed students to participate in community service and assist organizations across the city of Binghamton.
• A film screening of Marshall in the MRC Lounge in collaboration with the MRC and the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society was a great success. The screening was followed by a discussion on race discrimination and the legal system.
• Monumental: The Fight Lives On, featuring Wes Bellamy and co-sponsored by UDiversity and a host of other offices.
• Empowerment at Work: Pathways to Promote Inclusivity and Diversity, co-sponsored by the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, the Black Student Union and the National Society of Black Engineers was an intimate panel discussion with local professionals about the current practices and programs within their offices that promote diversity and inclusion. The speakers included representatives from Lockheed Martin’s African American Council for Excellence Employee Resource Group (ERG), BAE System’s African American Council for Excellence ERG, Corning, Inc.’s Black Technology Network ERG and the Corning Professional Network ERG. Students learned how to:

o Empower employees and offer leadership opportunities.

o Showcase diversity throughout the application process

o Find employers who value and support diversity

• A Lunar New Year Celebration when the MRC partnered with Binghamton University Dining Services, International Student and Scholar Services, the Office of International Education and Global Initiatives, the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera and the Student Association to put together a celebration of the 2019 Lunar New Year at Appalachian Dining Hall. The event included cultural performances, give-away raffles and East-Asian cuisine.
• A Black History Month Celebration in honor of the campus annual Black History Month celebrations with MRC and the Black Student Union collaborating to support a host of programs including:

o A Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration featuring a keynote address by Suzette Robotham of Google.

o A Black History Month keynote featuring Marc Lamont Hill.

o Culture at Chenango: Two MRC-hosted Culture at Chenango events in collaboration with Dining Services. The Black History Month Edition was held on Feb. 26, and was co-sponsored by the Black Student Union and Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

o Zero Discrimination Day: The MRC partnered with SAADI and the Q-Center to welcome Gabby Rivera, writer for Marvel’s America, to speak for Zero Discrimination Day on March 1. A reception was held beforehand with participants in the Zine Challenge. Additionally a closed event for queer students of color was held that allowed them to have one-on-one conversations with Rivera and Alice Hom.

o Baltimore Talkbacks: The MRC partnered with the Theatre Department, Binghamton Association of Mixed Students and the Student Association to facilitate post-show conversations with attending audiences of the Baltimore play on March 1 and March 9. The play focused on racial tensions among college students; the post-show conversations allowed attending students to share personal stories of discrimination and microaggressions on college campuses.

o A private Screening of Captain Marvel. In honor of International Women’s Day, the MRC, Late Nite, Off-Campus College, Comic Book Club and Student Association hosted a free, private screening of Captain Marvel at the Regal Cinemas in Binghamton on March 7, that was attended by 200 students.

o The 4th Annual NAACP Image Awards: the MRC collaborated with the Binghamton University Chapter of the NAACP to relaunch the annual Image Awards event, held March 8. This year’s event featured a keynote by two-term Michigan State Representative Jewell Jones, one of the youngest elected legislators in the United States.

MRC Student Programming Board

In an effort to increase awareness of the MRC by students who need our services or are feeling isolated on campus, MRC has launched an internal programming series planned by its student managers in collaboration with campus departments and various student organizations. To date, the MRC has hosted three events in the series:

• Healthy Relationships 101: The MRC in collaboration with the University Counseling Center hosted Healthy Relationships 101 on Feb. 11, providing the opportunity for students to discuss what it means to be in an abusive relationship, and how to ensure we are fostering healthy relationships in our lives.
• Resistance in Art: Hosted by the MRC Student Managers on Feb. 27, when students learned about prominent black artists and were challenged to create their own paintings based on poems and lyrics from these artists.
• PowHerful-Powherful, held on March 13, was an ode to women for Women’s History Month. The event was a night of discussion and activities that educate about contemporary issues that affect women.

MRC grants and collaborations

In March, the MRC worked with the Division of Student Affairs to sponsor funding for four of Binghamton University’s NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) students to attend the Annual ACPA Conference Boston, Mass. The Binghamton NUFP is a program for underrepresented students who may be interested in careers in higher education and student affairs. Binghamton’s NUFP currently has five accepted students who are mentored by staff both within the Division of Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The program is co-facilitated by Katelyn Newsham, David Best and Tanyah Barnes.

MRC internships

The MRC was asked to join the Fleishman Center’s Student Affairs Rotational Internship Program and was able to supervise three rotational interns to date. Interns were involved in three outreach opportunities and other outreach events are currently being planned.

MRC department operations

The MRC is currently operating on minimal staff coverage with the postponement of hiring an MRC assistant director and an office manager. To help alleviate some strain, the MRC hired a temporary program coordinator, Nuray Seyidzade, at the end of January who will work until June. To ensure students can be supported, the MRC Graduate Assistants and Student Managers are providing coverage and helping to oversee MRC daily operations with supervision from the MRC associate director and the MRC program coordinator.