As students continue to settle into a new semester, new opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom are developed.
The office of Student Engagement, Inclusion and Multicultural Programs heads many of these opportunities. SEIMP Director Russ Tallchief leads the charge and attempts to provide students with the opportunity to expand their understanding interest and appreciation for diverse cultures, ethnicities and spiritualties on campus.
Ashleigh Robinson, music theater sophomore, is a program coordinator for SEIMP as well as Black Student Association president. She said SEIMP offers important opportunities for students to expand their knowledge and experiences.
“Our campus is thriving with culture and diversity, and sometimes we forget that,” she said. “The programs that our office provides for our community not only remind us of the beauty of diversity, but encourage the students to embrace the cultures around them.”
Events and programs that SEIMP has sponsored and supported include National Coming Out Day, Pizza in the Hut: A Sukkot Celebration, OCU Talks: Conversations on Race Relations, American Indian Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples Day, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
“I feel that these events are important to the school because it promotes diversity of thought and exploration into different cultures which I believe make us well-rounded individuals,” said Rodney Smith, religion/philosophy/political science sophomore.
The next event of the Spring semester will be the annual Miss Black OCU Pageant Feb. 4 as a kick-start to Black History Month. Events are still being planned and detailed by the SEIMP team to take place throughout the semester.
“We often post our events on Facebook and on the walls around campus, so keep an eye out! We have a bunch of things planned for the spring, especially in February for black history month,” informs Robinson. More information on the SEIMP and its events can also be found at, www.okcu.edu/students/multicultural, or by contacting Russ Tallchief.
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