This paper will identify interculturalism, diversity, inclusion and cultural humility within the lenses of multicultural competence and its influence within higher education. Within, this paper I will identify how power, privilege and oppression impact the experiences of different constituencies in the postsecondary sector. In addition, the knowledge I have gained throughout the semester will be presented backing the idea of multicultural competence within higher education.
Interculturalism promotes interaction amongst different cultures. This concept is practiced everyday amongst individuals that interact within any public organization or environment. In the higher education sector, it is imperative that individuals within recognize the importance of all cultures we come into contact with. Nowadays segregation is more prevalent then ever. Segregation can simply come about by different backgrounds and cultures not being aware of other backgrounds and cultures. Simply being aware and taking the time to learn about different cultures can eliminate a large portion of segregation.
Diversity is not prevalent everywhere. Speaking specifically on higher education more and more institutions across the country are making many initiatives to encourage and promote a diverse population. Diversity in the sense of meaning a variety of different things, in the past has been a little difficult to accomplish. One of the most common issues with diversity being evident in institutions is their geographic location. Thinking about the location of institutions and the area they serve can put a limit on diversity. For example, institutions that have lower tuition rates typically house students with lower or mid income, while those institutions of higher tuition cost tend to accept students that come from a higher class. Though this concept sounds acceptable, the problem is the higher-class individuals are typically white males, while the lower to mid-class of individuals typically consists of the many minority groups. This scenario in itself if present at a college will not promote diversity.
Inclusion promotes cross-cultural engagement. Viewing inclusion as ensuring that all individuals are accepted and involved, is especially important at the level of higher education. The ACPA/NASPA Multicultural Competency Rubric suggests that inclusion and engagement can start by participating in activities (e.g., readings, programs) to gain cultural and global knowledge (ACPA/NASPA). Implementing programs and initiatives on any campus to get students involved is a great way to promote inclusion. After these programs and initiatives have been created, it is also important that they are open and attractive to the mass body of students.
Cultural humility
Before the course begin, my knowledge of various cultures and connecting them with my current position was very vague. Although I realized that my institution included hundreds of different cultures, I didn’t realize how important it was for me to become more culturally competent. I can recall as an undergraduate student seeking friendships with those that had similar characteristics as myself. This was in the since of seeking conversation with other African American males and females. This was not because I was against meeting those of different cultures but felt more comfortable with my own culture and those I was familiar with. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I begin to see how important diversity and inclusion really was on campus. A group of college professionals created a committee on campus that influenced friendships and relationships of all cultures within the on and off campus environment. Multiculturally competent professionals not only acknowledge the presence and benefits of diversity on campus, they promote and make diversity work on campus through their practice (Pope, Mueller, & Reynolds, 2009). This mentioned by Pope, et al. confirms how important it is for professionals on campus to promote presence of diversity. As a student affairs professional today, I am glad that I was able to take a class such as Multicultural Competence, which first made the topic a concern of mine and created ideas in my mind as to how I can pursue creating a more diverse environment at my current institution.
I have really paid close attention to the population of students that my current employer, Seminole State College of Florida enrolls. The majority of our students are white, followed by the Hispanic/Latino and African American race. From my observations, the mass ethnic backgrounds found remaining on campus after classes seem to segregate themselves within different areas around the campus. For example, the white population tends to study and congregate around the library and cafeteria area. While the mass majority of Hispanic/Latino students seem to converse around the lakeside patios and lunch areas. In addition, the African American students tend to meet and greet within the game room and campus life study areas. I consider the populated areas of students as different cities located within an institution. In an effort to decrease the noticeable segregated areas, my plan of action is to incorporate an event within the student union that all students can attend between classes. Keeping in mind the hobbies that each of the students tend to enjoy, will be something to keep in mind when planning this event.
Considering student actions on campus as to what they do before and after class, I have also noticed that they tend to come to campus in just enough time to be on time for class and leave campus right after class. Considering what we have learned so far in the semester, I decided to ask a student that mentioned to me that this is what she does, why she doesn’t explore the campus beyond being in class. Her response was that we didn’t offer anything for her to do in between her classes. She agreed that meeting and getting to know other students was important, but if sitting around not doing anything was a requirement to meet others, she would prefer leaving. This struck me, in combination with making the campus more diverse by creating an event to gather students, I also am considering this event to be one that provides students with an activity in between classes.
Pope and Reynolds introduces multicultural competence as a core competence in higher education.
Considering all of the information and knowledge that I have learned from this course, I should move forward and consider how I am going to put my actions into play.
References:
https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/applying-strategic-prevention/cultural-competence