Multicultural Resource Center, spring 2021

Multicultural Resource Center launches new virtual center for spring 2021

To kick off the spring semester in a way to help foster more opportunities for connection while the campus continued to operate in a mostly virtual setting, the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) launched a new virtual center, vMRC at www.kumospace.com/mrcbinghamton. The vMRC is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and staffed by one MRC Student Manager or MRC staff member.

The vMRC is an immersive video chat room where students and other members of the campus community can connect with MRC staff and other students on campus. The platform, Kumospace, uses spatial audio that allows for multiple simultaneous conversations in the same space. The rooms also have interactive features and are designed to look more like a physical room. Individuals can also move between the vMRC’s three typical virtual rooms as well as any special event rooms that are created:

• MRC Lounge
• Office
• Group Study Room

Students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to help us bring the community vibe back to The Culture; stop by vMRC just like you would if you were on campus, to hang out, ask questions, make an appointment, study with friends or even just to say hello.

MRC and Binghamton University Libraries shed a light on food insecurity

In collaboration with the University Libraries, the MRC launched Bearcat Food Drive, an initiative to spotlight climate change and food insecurity that ran from Feb. 1 through March 15, to raise awareness about climate change while also highlighting issues such as food waste, college students and food insecurity, disparities from the COVID-19 pandemic and rates of food insecurity within historically underrepresented populations to help reduce the stigma around food insecurity and provide food options for students on and off campus. The campaign also provided information about local assistance such as the Binghamton University Food Pantry, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and how to grow certain foods at home. In addition to creating and executing the social media informational campaign, the Libraries and the MRC collected over 260 items to donate to the University’s Food Pantry. Check out more on the campaign as featured in Pipe Dream, the University’s student newspaper.

MRC TIP renews local contracts

The Multicultural Resource Center’s Translation and Interpretation Program (MRC TIP) continued to serve the campus and greater Binghamton communities with translation and interpretation services this quarter. With the help of MRC TIP interns and volunteers, the program was able to fulfill several external and internal requests to assist individuals with limited English proficiency. During this quarter, MRC TIP served the campus community virtually with translation and interpretation requests in Bangla and Turkish. Additionally, MRC TIP renewed its contract with the Vestal Central School District and is in the process of signing contracts with four other local school districts. By fulfilling these services and updating contracts with the local school districts, MRC TIP was able to continue meeting our WEAVE Objectives of G3. O3. M1 & G3. O3. M2, which allows us to provide translation and interpretation services not only to the Binghamton University campus community but also to the greater Binghamton community.

Pathways to Inclusive Leadership Program

The MRC, in collaboration with the Q Center and the Udiversity Educational Institute, has partnered with the Center for Civic Engagement, the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, Residential Life and the School of Management to create the Pathways to Inclusive Leadership Program. The collaborative initiative between the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Division of Student Affairs will launch in fall 2021, and will give students from various class standings an opportunity to explore leadership from a diverse and inclusive perspective. The current framework for the program involves students taking part in workshops, trainings and/or activities in four categories:

1. Foundations of Leadership
2. Leadership in a Diverse World
3. Leadership in Your Career
4. Leadership in Civic Engagement

Students will be able to explore these different aspects of leadership and apply them to their college careers. Interested students also can continue in the program to complete an advanced certificate upon completion of their personalized culminating project. To contribute to the category of “Leadership in a Diverse World,” MRC staff are creating a number of workshops focused on educating students on issues related to multiculturalism and student leadership skills, including workshops on intercultural communication and bystander intervention.

With the creation and implementation of this program, the MRC has met Goal 1, Objective 1, Measure 1: provide new programming informed by a review of student reporting annually, and Goal 2, Objective 1, Measure 1: create initiatives that bring together the campus community for the benefit of students of the WEAVE goals.

MRC signature events and initiatives

During the late winter months, the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) hosted several successful special events and programmatic and workshop collaborations to serve the campus community. These included:

MLK Series

The MLK Series included a virtual MLK Celebration, the Bearcat Food Drive, support for the inauguration celebration and the MLK Series Winter Read with nine scheduled conversations led by MRC and Q Center staff. The campus population was offered the opportunity to read Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to allow discussion on the similarities between the Civil Rights Movement and modern challenges we face today. King’s concerns from that letter, unfortunately, still apply; specifically, the issues with misrepresentation of religious values being used to strip people of their civil rights. While the series had lower participation than desired due to some of the challenges with the adjusted start dates for the spring semester, the idea behind the Winter Read as an MRC initiative, mirroring the campus-wide Common Read initiative, creates more opportunities for exploration of diversity related issues. for exploration of diversity related issues.

Lunar New Year Celebration: On Feb. 16, the MRC collaborated with Binghamton University Dining Services on the annual Lunar New Year Celebration at the Appalachian Dining Hall in Mountainview College. Due to the limitations on dining halls caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event did not have participation from various student organizations and departments on campus for tabling and activities, as in previous years. The MRC, however, was able to assist BUDS in crafting a menu that was representative of East Asian cuisine during the Lunar New Year period. The event was very successful and a total of 850 students were able to enjoy the curated Lunar New Year-themed dinner. Since the MRC was not able to host an in-person event this year, we offered a Virtual Lunar New Year Dinner Hangout event held on a new platform, Kumospace. Students were encouraged to get their dinner at the dining hall and then attend the virtual event to connect with other students. Unfortunately, the virtual event did not have an attendance that is representative of the usual anticipated Lunar New Year events.

Black History Month Celebration: For Black History Month, the MRC conducted a social media campaign celebrating Black students on Binghamton’s campus and also hosted a virtual Culture Chat on Feb. 17, focusing on significant strides in Black history in America. This chat allowed the MRC to meet WEAVE Objective G1. Objective 1: Engagement in discussion of current multicultural issues. The MRC also partnered with the BUNAACP for its Fun Friday’s event by offering showings of Lovecraft Country. The purpose of these programs was to enjoy a popular show while discussing cultural interpretations of the scenes. This collaboration allowed the MRC to meet our WEAVE Assessment Objective G3, Objective 2: Provide non-financial resources of the MRC to support programming for the cultural campus community. Lastly, the MRC partnered with Late Nite to host a “BHM Weekend” that included a showing of Black Panther on Feb. 26, and a Black History Month trivia game hosted by the MRC on Feb. 27. This collaboration allowed the MRC to meet WEAVE Assessment Objective G1. Objective 1: Engagement in discussion of current multicultural issues.

Culture Chats: This semester, the MRC made some adjustments to our Culture Chats to increase attendance. We reduced the number of Culture Chats and sought out new partnerships and new program designs. The MRC continued a partnership with the Office of the Vice President of Multicultural Affairs in the Student Association. The MRC also worked with social work graduate student interns in the DEEP Program in Residential Life, which is designed to promote student engagement through a social justice lens for underrepresented populations by assisting with facilitation of programs and outreach in the residence halls. Lastly, the MRC collaborated with Health Promotion and Prevention Services (HPPS) for its Dragon Panel Project, which is an art installation that aims to bear witness to interpersonal, political and hate violence against women of color to design a Culture Chat during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Culture Chat lunches provide additional engagement for students, faculty and staff of color on campus and allow the MRC to meet WEAVE Assessment Objective G1. O1. M: Provide new programming informed by review of student reporting.

Policing the First Amendment: A Roundtable Debate on Police and First Amendment Rights: The “Policing the First Amendment” event was a collaboration between the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) and several campus partners, including Binghamton University Scholars, Speech and Debate, Center for Civic Engagement, the Graduate Student Organization, Student Association and the UDiversity Educational Institute. A committee of students and staff with representatives from each of the areas previously mentioned convened beginning in summer 2020 to determine ways to help students learn to engage in difficult dialogue, with support from the vice presidents of diversity and student affairs, and determined that hosting a series of roundtable debates would introduce new ways that students could positively engage in conversations on different topics and might also help to produce unique solutions that the campus could use to address ongoing issues. The first part of the series, the Speech and Safety Roundtable Debate, was conducted in fall 2020. The second event, “Policing the First Amendment,” was held Monday, March 15, and focused more broadly on First Amendment rights and how students feel about police engagement and whether it’s justified or even necessary.

Our goal with the series was to create space for dialogue that helps center the importance of listening to one another, even when we have varying, polarizing opinions. To continue the conversation about differing viewpoints — and yet create space and time for members of the community to come together to listen to one another respectfully; all of which can be done to bridge relationships. As we engage in difficult dialogue, it is also good to have awareness of different ways to create space for dialogue and to use methods that are most appropriate for the desired outcomes of the conversation. Often the more contentious the content being discussed, the more important it is to create an intentional space, such as by using a moderator or mediator where all parties can be heard and have their fundamental rights be respected during the conversation.

The event featured an introduction by Vice President Brian Rose, with debate coach Joe Schatz moderating the roundtable featuring student debaters:

Tyra Wilson, a junior majoring in rhetoric and global culture with a Spanish minor. She is the historian of Student-Athletes of Color for Success, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Voter Engagement Advisory Committee, and plays for Binghamton University’s volleyball team.

• Logan Blakeslee, a junior majoring in history. He is also the SA Congress Representative for OC3 and the vice president of College Republicans.
• Coleen Watson, a PhD candidate in philosophy who researches democratic theory and citizenship. She is the president of the Philosophy GSO and Conference Committee
• Reign Bey, a senior majoring in computer science and Russian studies. She was the vice president of the College Republicans last academic year, and is a mother of three.
• Kate Marin, a sophomore majoring in psychology and linguistics, is president of the Debate Team and a member of the Binghamton University Scholars Program.

The next part of the series is scheduled for April 14 on First Amendment Rights and all members of the campus community are invited to attend. The committee is currently recruiting interested individuals who might want to learn how to serve as a deliberation facilitator; training will be provided.

Read more about the event in Pipe Dream.

Virtual In-the-Lounge programming: The MRC student managers hosted three virtual In the Lounge events during this quarter to observe Black History month, International Women’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

• One Night in Miami Watch Party: On Feb. 27, Student Manager Sheyla Santana Escoto hosted One Night in Miami Watch Party featuring the recently released film One Night in Miami (2020) and discussion in observance of Black History Month. The film details a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered and discussed their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
• International Women’s Day Trivia Night: Student Manager Kassandra Moran hosted an hour-long jeopardy game on March 8 to observe Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The game exposed participants to topics such as the women’s movement, historic women, women’s rights and women’s empowerment as well as facts about women across different cultures from around the world. The winning team was awarded a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.
• Cooking Thyme—St. Patrick’s Day Edition: Student manager Lillian Carr hosted a live cooking video on MRC’s Instagram TV on March 17 to observe St. Patrick’s Day. The cooking video showed how to cook a St. Patrick’s Day meal with corned beef, cabbage and red potatoes. The cooking video encourages a multicultural audience to learn more about the customs of St. Patrick’s Day. The event also helped to launch MRC’s new Tik Tok account.

Student staff selection and training: MRC staff were able to continue meeting Goal 1, Objective 1 and Goal 2 of the WEAVE Assessment Objectives by providing a thorough training for all our incoming student staff. Our undergraduate student staff virtual training sessions were held Feb. 8-9, via Zoom. The sessions included a total of five new undergraduate interns as well as eight Federal College Work Study student managers. Incoming undergraduate student staff were able to explore their positions, learn about MRC resources and services and receive a brief intercultural communication training giving our student staff insight into their leadership roles on campus. These virtual training sessions have allowed MRC staff to continue to train and prepare incoming student staff for both virtual and on-campus employment.