Six minority Student Organizations (APSU, CSA, Barkada, Igwebuike-Black Student Union, Ka Mana’o O Hawai’i, And Mecha/El Frente) came together un the name of UNITY to establish the Multicultural Center(MCC). This was caused when the clubs were ordered out of their offices in Dunne Basement and told to apply for cubicles in Benson. These spaces were not big enough. The six organizations wrote a 21 page proposal for the MCC, which opened its doors for the first time in the 1985-1986 school year in Graham Basement.
Racial Tensions against minority students sparked an open forum hosted by Igwebuike. Although University officials recommended expulsion for the racist students, the forum resulted with feelings against punishment, as it was not viewed as a solution to the problem. Rather, students for the MCC pointed out faults within the University in regards to poor recruitment/retention of faculty, staff, and students of color. Two hundred fifty students rallied together in November 1991, wearing green armbands to symbolize solidarity. The student of the MCC presented a proposal stressing the need for an adequate facility that was more centrally located. The University held a closed meeting with student leaders of the MCC and Father Locatelli to work on anti-harassment and respect polices. The proposal resulted in the creation of MCC West in Benson Memorial Center.
University restructuring led to the removal of key support systems for minority students. On June 2, 1999 two hundred fifty students rallied wearing yellow armbands and black shirts to symbolize solidarity. They marched through campus voicing three demands: 1) The University must grant complete and exclusive access to the Shapell Facility to the MCC 2) the University must legitimize the Ethnic Studies Program as a University Department, complete with financial and organizational support. 3) Within both the Academic Advising and Learning Resources Center and the Center for Multicultural Learning, the University must include all functions and positions previously held by Student Resources Center devoted strictly for the need of targeted populations; specifically ethnic, disable, gay, lesbian, international students, women, and religious minorities. Students rallied for three day and night until a closed meeting reached an agreement.
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MCC was moved from the basement of Grahman to comparable accommodations by Winter 2000 (Shapell).
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The Provost commits to supporting the Ethnic Studies Faculty’s efforts to finalize a strategic plan by June 1999. The Vice Provost for Multicultural Education will work closely with the Ethnic Studies Faculty to develop joint faculty appointments with other academic departments. The program may develop into a department provided that it meets the criteria and follows the procedures required to do so. The Vice Provost will work with students to assure their participation in faculty recruitment and curricular design and development.
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The services and programs offered by the Drahmann Center, the Center for Multicultural Learning, and the Counseling Center will provide the functions previously offered by the Student Resource Center to meet with the needs to targeted populations.
See me T-shirts
A California Proposition stated that no employer could judge someone based on his or her race when hiring someone. In response to this the MCC said that you should see a person’s culture and not just ignore it. Black t-shirts with “see me” printed on them were meant to reject the notion of color-blindness. In a color-blind society, difference is sacrificed in favor of a false sense of social harmony; no one person is distinguished from the other. People should acknowledge difference and still be able to live in world based on equality. A variety of faces on the back side of the shirts, ranging from smiling faces in yellow, red, green, beige, and brown mixed with blank expressionless faces in white were meant to illustrate this concept. The blank faces represent the lack of character and personality embodied in a color-blind society. The smiling, colored faces symbolize the acknowledgment of a person’s background without prejudice and racism. Without noting our diverse backgrounds, you do not really know anything about what makes me who I am. Thus, see me.
Dogears See me T-shirt comments
In response to the See Me T-Shirts. As question was posted addressing the Shirts and the controversial question “should SCU make more space for the MCC?” Many Posts on the board were nothing short of scary. The necessity of an MCC was questioned and the MCC motive for awareness were criticized. One posting read “People who are not White are suing these powers they have gained since the days of Martin Luther King to put the white man in a bad position socially. They Enjoy it.”
In response to student concerns about the University’s response to bias and hate motivated incidents, spring 2006, Lisa Millora from the Office of Student Life, was asked to convene a group of students and staff to identify ways to improve the reporting of such incidents. As the first meeting, which included student and staff representatives from Affirmative Action, Associated Students, Campus Safety, the Center from Multicultural Learning, Residence Life, and Student Life, the group recommended initiatives for improving the campus climate as it related to bias and hate motivated incidents. Creating an improved reporting protocol and web-Based reporting from were the first steps toward meeting the goals outlined.
January 29, 2007 Students of Santa Clara University, including student-athletes, portraying Latino stereotypes at an off-campus birthday party. Photographs from the “South of the Boarder” party were discovered by a member of the Multicultural Center, who then pass them on to Bernice Aguas, director of the MCC. The Pictures were posted on Facebook. Among the students at the party were at least five members of the women’s volleyball team, at least one member of the men’s basketball team and at least one member of the men’s golf team, according to the pictures from the party. The party’s host, also an athlete, was half-Mexican. MEChA and La Communidad Latina both held special meetings to address the issue, while the MCC organized a silent march to Father Locatelli’s State of the University. At least 250 students, faculty members and administrators of many ethnicities gathered in support and walked through campus behind a banner that read, “In unity there is strength.” Supporters wore orange armbands and orange ribbons representing anti-racism. “It’s not a particular party, nor a particular person, but addressing the whole issue of having theme parties that reinforce negative stereotypes,” Aguas said.
In response to racist incidents on campus, primarily occurring on social media platforms such as Yik-Yak, a group of dedicated students gathered to create a proposal aimed at increasing and maintaining all types of diversity at SCU. The proposal, which includes changes in SCU’s academic curriculum, required diversity related programming for all students, and demands for a more racially diverse faculty and student body, was divided into four major categories. These categories include Academics, Student and Residence Life, Transparency, and Recruitment and Orientation. Because racism on campus is a multifaceted issue which must be approached from multiple angles, the Unity IV demands aim to cover the depth and breadth of racial issues on campus. In the Spring Quarter of 2015, these demands were presented to the President and several staff members on campus. They are currently in the process of being re-worked as needed and implemented.
