Muhlenberg College
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The mission statement is: to serve as a campus wide resource that facilitates and promotes a learning community of multicultural understanding and exchange through collaboration, dialogue, and action. Muhlenberg has a Multicultural Advisory Board, Multicultural Center, and Multicultural Director tasked by the administration to advise on and implement programs and trainings related to diversity and equity on campus.

The full-time equivalent of people employed in the diversity and equity office: 2 Multicultural Life Director and Assistant Director (start date 10/2015)
Muhlenberg has programs available to all employees specific to cultural competence trainings and activities. In the Fall of 2015 Multicultural Life offered intra-dialogue specifically directed at supporting majority/white community members who have expressed a desire to engage in anti-racism work; also Greek Life has a new mandate to engage in dialogue about how to increase diversity in their membership
All LVAIC programs at the College are available to all faculty, staff, and students.
Specific trainings for Campus Safety are in place concerning racial profiling.
Specific trainings for Coaches and all Athletic employees concerning homophobia, gender, race.

Also, Robin meets with RAs, athletes, and students in the fitness and wellness classes, about issues of difference, promoting open-mindedness in regards to diversity.
RAs also have intensive training regarding handling issues of difference.
The multicultural office focuses on student diversity and equity. , but not employee diversity and equity. However, faculty and staff are invited to participate in campus-wide dialogue and programming that focus on creating a welcoming and inlcuisve diverse community. Often, faculty and or staff are the facilitators for Multicultural Life programming.
The advisory committee consist of staff and faculty they include: Dr. James Peck, Dr. Kate Richmond, Dr. Stefanie Sinno, Dr. Brian Mello (Chair), Dr. Cathy Oullette, Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer, Beth Halpern, Director of Community Service and Engagement, Lee Kolbe, Title IX Coordinator, Robin Riley-Casey, Director of Multicultural Life and Cindy Amaya-Santiago, Senior Associate Director of Multicultural Recruitment, Dr. Jordana Sprayberry, Dr. Dawn Sanderson and Eric Thompson, Admission Coordiantor.
The advisory board develops campus programs around the issues of diversity, and can be academic or deal with social advocacy. Concerning academic programs, we currently have a Center for Ethics/Multicultural Center Advisory Board program that included a lecture on the psychology behind the Ferguson protests and the history of voting rights in the United States. Concerning social advocacy, we had the following events:
Intra-group Dialogue (10/15 ongoing)
Heritage Month Celebrations (Black, Latino, Women, Asian, Muslim students, Transadvocacy and LGBTQIA)
Alliance Week (Fall 2015)
Lehigh Valley Association of Independent College (LVAIC) Leadership Summit (Spring 2015) for student leaders of affinity groups
BSA sponsored a Weekend of Resistance in response to the events taking place in Ferguson, MO.
Friday, October 17th
2:00-3:00pm Rally/Teach-In, Parents Plaza (rain or shine)
3:00-4:00pm Shout Out (space for students to dialogue about social and political issues of difference), Multicultural Center (backyard if good weather and inside if bad)
Saturday, October 18th
5:30-7:00pm - Art of Resistance- Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
This will be a space where students will present spoken word, monologues and other forms of artistic expression as a form of resistance to the types of oppression facing Ferguson and the nation. This will be totally student led and driven though faculty and staff are welcome to attend.
Information about our multicultural department can be found at the following links:
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/campuslife/multicultural/
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/campuslife/multicultural/mission.html