MRC

File photo by Jaylen Early/THE STANDARD The Mary Jean Price Walls Multicultural Center had been in the Freudenberger House basement, but plans are in place to relocate it to the Plaster Student Union. Multicultural resource programs available to students

BRITNEY HUISH Staff Reporter @brithuish

The Multicultural Resource Center is located in the lower level of Plaster Student Union and offers services and programming to all students, staff and faculty and is dedicated to creating a more empathetic student body by building a stronger, more progressive campus community.

Services as listed on its webpage include a lounge and entertainment area and a small computer lab for students to relax, eat, study and have access to a smart TV.

The MRC offers more than just these services, including spaces for LGBTQ+ students: The Room of Reflection, which allows individuals or small groups to meet in a quiet space for fellowship, and the Transitions Closet.

According to Multicultural Programs LGBTQ+ Student Services, the Transitions Closet is “a free, anonymous resource available to any student going through some form of life transition, including but not limited to: transgender students beginning or continuing to change clothing choices, international students transitioning into the United States and students preparing to transition out of Missouri State into full-time employment.”

In addition, the MRC hosts programs to accommodate a variety of students and cultures.

“There are heritage months celebrating different cultures (committed to) understanding what they have done historically,” former Student Body President Abdillahi Dirie said.

Dirie said the MRC often co-programs with other organizations on campus, like Student Activities Council, to put on events and that Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Native American Heritage Month and Latinx Heritage Month are among the other heritage months the MRC celebrates.

During Welcome Weekend, the MRC hosts the “Belong-B-Q” to kick off the school year and Dirie said this is one of his favorite Welcome Weekend events.

“They do Lunch and Learn, where you eat lunch and discuss a diverse topic and at the end of the semester, they hold a Multicultural Services Graduation ceremony highlighting diverse students who are graduating,” Dirie said.

Lunch and Learn takes place throughout the fall and spring semester and the topics discussed can sometimes occur jointly during identity and heritage months.

Dirie said the MRC has various different planning committees which rely on the Diversity fund as a resource, which is used to promote diversity, inclusion, and social justice at Missouri State University.

“The space multicultural services occupies communicates to students the importance of that area and the new office space will benefit students by being centrally located,” said Kimberly Martin, director of multicultural programs.

Last spring, students voted to approve fund ing to relocate the MRC and Mary Jean Annex to the location of the Office of Student Engagement in the Plaster Student Union.

Martin said this could bring new opportunities for other spaces on campus, such as Disability Services.

Any information regarding the MRC and other multicultural programming can be found on the Missouri State website under the Multicultural Resource tab.

Submitted photo Members of MSU’s chapter of Sigma Lambda Gamma, a multicultural sorority. A look into NPHC and Sigma Lambda Gamma

Britney Huish Staff Reporter @brithuish

With diversity initiatives booming at Missouri State, there are many different multicultural organizations on campus available to students.

Outside of the programming offered by the Multicultural Resource Center, students have the opportunity to join historically African American fraternities and sororities and other multicultural Greek life.

NPHC, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, has five active chapters on campus, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta.

MSU alumnus Jon Moore Jr. was the president of the Mu Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity.

“NPHC is where we conduct our business as members of Black Greek Letter Organizations, BGLO, and also serves as a resource to help guide us through the school year,” Moore said.

Moore said NPHC mainly serves as the body for its members’ organizations but does host a few events on campus.

“NPHC hosts Meet the Greeks and the Homecoming Step-Show with individual organizations hosting educational events, community service projects and fundraising events throughout the semester,” Moore said.

“My chapter was chartered May 4, 1984, so the week of May 4 is Kappa Week,” Moore said, referring to events Alpha Kappa Psi hosts.

Moore said each chapter of NPHC has a week of events on campus and oftentimes two weeks, as they are exercised as a week of service.

Their impact goes beyond their members, with many NPHC organizations offering scholarship opportunities to non-Greek members on campus while learning about another group.

For women interested in a multicultural sorority, Sigma Lambda Gamma is looking for new members.

Alondra Longoria, junior and president of Sigma Lambda Gamma, said SLG is committed to, “empowering womxn by creating a welcoming environment and taking pride in our distinct cultures and backgrounds.”

The term “womxn” is an alternative spelling of “woman” to be inclusive of trans and non-binary women and avoids the suggested sexism from suffixes such as “man” and “men”.

Longoria said their focus is to strive for high academic achievements and community involvement while implementing Sigma Lambda Gamma’s mission of bringing cultural awareness and creating good leaders to positively influence their community.

“This group of strong independent womxn were the first to welcome me and accept my identity,” Longoria said. “Joining Sigma Lambda Gamma was the best decision I could have made.”

Longoria said getting involved in SLG made her feel more accepted at MSU, especially as a first-generation college student. “They gave me that community I was needing especially as a Latina in a Predominantly-White Institution,” Longoria said.

The recruitment process for both Sigma Lambda Gamma and NPHC are both unique and incoming freshmen can find information regarding NPHC recruitment on the Missouri State National Pan-Hellenic Council webpage and SLG recruitment information on their Instagram, @missouristategammas.