What Happened to Our Multicultural Organizations
The presence of BSU’s multicultural organizations has steadily declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Fall 2024, only eight multicultural organizations remain registered with the Lewis & Gaines Center for Equity and Inclusion (LGCIE), a significant decrease from the 18 active groups from before. The loss is felt by students like Ari Vaughn (she/her), who shared, “I don’t know where and how the clubs are taking place, and I think that’s a problem for me being a student of color at this institution. I’m paying money to go here, but where do I go to be included and not feel out of place?”.
However, it was not always like this. Student Daniel Jean-Baptiste (’25) (he/him) remembers a different campus when he first arrived back in 2018. “When I first time came here, there were lots of events both on and off campus”, he shared. “There were fun educational events sponsored by the school and also parties. After that, everything just died out”.
The struggle to maintain multicultural organizations is ongoing. Each academic year, several groups fail to register with the Center for Student Engagement (CSE), choosing not to continue after their leadership graduates. Jean-Baptiste pointed to the challenges of organizing campus events, citing strict requirements from CSE. “To go through CSE, you have to plan and ask for funding months, sometimes even a year in advance,” he explained. “A lot of e-board members are Seniors, so it doesn’t make sense to plan an event that they’re not going to be there for.” This creates a cycle where students hesitate to take on leadership roles.
Several students believe the issue lies beyond administrative barriers. Kit Abaka (they/she), a junior, mentioned the lack of connection between older and younger students. “A lot of older students aren’t reaching out to younger students to make that connection and retain members,” they said. “People don’t want to take the risk of running a club anymore. It really sucks because I feel like the people who run these organizations do want to take a chance on reaching out and connecting with others, but it’s hard because of the lack of willingness to change things from people on campus.” This sentiment echoes the experiences of many students who feel that without mentorship, reviving multicultural organizations is too daunting a task.
While the university’s administrative procedures and lack of leadership transition play a significant role, there is also a call for greater student accountability. Hoang Tran (he/him) shared, “It is not just places like LGCIE’s job to create a safe space for students of color; the students have to contribute too”. His perspective highlights a fundamental issue: a gap between what students expect from the institution and what they are willing to invest themselves.
So, what will it take for you to get involved?
