DIVISION OF STUDENT SERVICES |
Multicultural Affairs |
History of Multicultural Affairs
Multicultural affairs at Reed reflects the development of an infrastructure that constantly shifts to the needs of the students, faculty, and staff. Multicultural affairs seeks to sustain an institutional commitment to creating a campus community that is informed and supportive about issues of difference, and can appreciate the complexity of intellectual inquiry from diverse perspectives.
The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC), created by a group of students in 1993, has served as an umbrella organization for cultural and politically based student organizations. Subsequently, the students involved in the MRC acquired a formal space on campus where all students could access materials dedicated to addressing the multiple issues of identity, culture, and oppression. The MRC initially was operated entirely by students. In fall 2002, the college hired a part-time MRC director who was also responsible for multicultural recruitment in the admission office.
The part-time director status changed in 2004 with the support of students, faculty, and trustees, when the college created the assistant dean of multicultural affairs position. During summer 2005, the first full-time position was filled to initiate the process of building a collaborative institutional infrastructure for developing co-educational programs for the campus community, and support systems for students, staff, and faculty from underrepresented communities. The work of multicultural affairs and its programs continues to evolve and adjust to the rapidly changing needs of the campus.