The evolution of under-represented minority groups at Lehigh University

Miranda ReyesJenny Shang

Camille Hardy

Office of Multicultural Affairs

Office of Multicultural Affairs

• The Office of Multicultural Affairs is an office on campus that is dedicated to expressing multiculturalism on campus and believes that multiculturalism is about accepting, recognizing, and celebrating the differences within campus and the surrounding communities.

• I interviewed the Director of the Office- Mr. Tyrone Russell-tyr208@lehigh.edu

Objectives of the OMA Office

• “To serve as an advocate, resource, and vehicle of support for diverse students and their families in and outside of Lehigh.”

• “To build an active partnership with fellow colleges, offices and organizations at Lehigh University in an effort to enhance an inclusive, outreaching, and growing multicultural environment.”

Objectives• “To challenge members of the Lehigh community to

explore their own culture and the culture of others in the campus community in an effort to enhance greater multiculturalism, awareness, and promote dialogue exchange.”

• “To respond thoughtfully, intellectually, appropriately, and competently to the needs of fellow Lehigh students, their families, faculty, staff, and alumni concerning multicultural affairs.”

• “To support and encourage students to explore their multiple identities.”

Mission of OMA Office

• The OMA office believes in offering a place for students to explore their multicultural identity as well as explore other people’s experiences and backgrounds.

• “Diversity inclusion is very, very, very, very, important which promotes the best out of everyone”- Mr. Tyrone Russell

• Mr. Russell also told me that,” We advocate for underrepresented minorities on campus and their existence on campus.”

Programs

• The OMA office offers a range of programs and discussions to promote multiculturalism like:

• Real World LU Prelusion Program• The Brown Lunch Bag Discussion Series• Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week• House of Privilege• “We try to push forth programs and opportunities

that keep us connected with underrepresented minorities”- Mr. Tyrone Russell

Programs• The Office of Multicultural Affairs also offers

programs both within and outside of the Lehigh campus such as:

• South Bethlehem Leadership Development Programs• Mentoring Programs and collaborations with Lehigh

faculty and staff.• “We also work with faculty whose departments

focus on diversity inclusion like the Africana studies Department, Spanish Department, and Asian studies Department”- Mr. Tyrone Russell

Multicultural Center

• The Office of Multicultural Affairs also offers a safe space for students known as the “M-Room” which is located on the second floor of the University Center for students to do work and relax with friends in a thriving environment.

Student Based Organizations

• The OMA office has many student based organizations whose jobs are to take an active role in the Lehigh community and in the education around multiculturalism, equity, and social justice issues.

• Some Programs include:• Black Student Union• OMA Ambassador Program• OMA Street Team

Working with others

• The OMA office also works with other offices to achieve their goal of multiculturalism on campus like:

• Career Services Office• First Year Experience Office• LGBTQA Programs and Services• Student Activities• The Women’s Center

For The Future

• According to Mr. Russell, he believes that as time goes on the Office of Multicultural Affairs is not only going to expand but along with that expansion so will the amount of diversity here on the Lehigh campus will increase as well.

• “We advocate for underrepresented minorities and their existence on campus.

Enrollment of Latinos

Timeline• 1963-1970 fifty Latin Americans admitted • 1979-1980 An International Center opens to

serve foreign students. • 2009 Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino fraternity • 2010 Latino Student Alliance(LSA) is a student-

run club that has been founded

History of Diversity• 1950-1963• Scholarships were only given for merit not for

financial need. • Minorities couldn’t afford to go to college.• Whitaker took the prevailing line of argument in

basing the concern for scholarships on merit alone. He wrote, "The real justification, the basic reason for such awards, is not to improve the financial status or advancement of an individual so much as to contribute to mankind at large the service of a better trained individual.

History of Diversity Cont.

• 1963-1970s• The vast majority of undergraduates came

from– homes located within 150 miles of Bethlehem. In

most years more than 80 percent were from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

– Very few of the undergraduates came from foreign countries.

– May 1976 women and seventy men and women from minority groups

Diversity Now

• 8.0% Hispanic/Latino• Latino Student Alliance(LSA) a student-run

club • Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino fraternity • Lehigh University Black and Latino Alumni

Network for Community and Equity (BALANCE)

• South American and Latino Student Alliance (SALSA)

Ways Lehigh encourages Diversity

• Diversity Achievers Program • Diversity Life Weekend• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)• Latin American Studies• Umoja house

Interview

• “Students Living in the Uhouse seek culture diversity”

• “There is no cultural barriers at the Uhouse”• “Class of 2016 is more diverse”• “There are settle discriminations within the

campus” • “Some cultures are promoted above other for

example Black or Hispanic culture”

Enrollment of Women

Enrollment of WomenTimeline

• 1918 women are admitted as graduate students• 1937 Lehigh enrolls its first woman as an undergraduate

engineer due to a misunderstanding of names• 1943 A female biochemist, Margaret Lams, is first to

receive a research scholarship at Lehigh• 1971 Lehigh welcomes its first 169 female undergraduates• 1974 Alpha Phi becomes the first women’s sorority on

campus.• 1991 Lehigh University Women’s Center opens• 2006 Lehigh appoints its first female president, Alice P.

Gast• 2011 Lehigh celebrate 40 years of coeducation.

Coeducation 1971• Novelty of first women at LehighSusan Ascher: “When I found out that Lehigh was looking for its first class of

women, I thought it would be an opportune time to go there and to experience something very different than what a lot of my peers were doing.

Jane Jamieson : If you were the only woman sitting in a room of 30 men, you clearly got a little more attention.

Pat Chase: Most of the professors were encouraging but some were cynical and tested us for a few months to see if we had earned the right to be at this university.

Problems faced:Susan Ascher : They didn’t have enough bathrooms for women.Lois Sunflower: I Knew where every women’s bathroom was on campus

because there were only about 4.Jane Jamieson : There were no clubs, no intermurals, no sororities.

To see the full interviews : http://www.wiareport.com/2011/09/lehigh-university-celebrates-40-years-of-coeducation/

Coeducation in 1990s• Commission on Women, Undergraduate Student Survey (1990)• Student sample:• Male : 60.8% Female : 39.2%

• I Relations between men and women• 61% said that the ratio of female to male students on campus was too low.• 44.8% said that the relations between men and women were close and harmonious but 43.8% said

they were friendly but not close.• 31.5% said that there was a great deal of sexism.• 35.4% agreed that women were treated with respect by male and 28.8% disagreed.• 77.8% agreed that professors were equally encouraging male and female students.

• II Gender issues• 97.5% agreed that physical assault was sexual harassment but 45.5% disagreed that suggestive

jokes, stories and humor was sexual harassment.• 64.5% often experienced a pressure to avoid being seen supporting women’s issues.• 62.1% of students weren’t aware of grievance procedures concerning racial/ sexual harassment.• 93% hadn’t taken a course with primary focus on women but 57.3% might be interested in taking

such a course.

• Overall, there was a general improvement from the early years as men became accustomed to female presence and women played an increasing role at Lehigh. However, issues such as sexual harassment, awareness and prevention still needed to be solved.

Coeducation Today• Interview with Dr. Jones, director of Women’s center• Women’s Center was set up in 1991.• The staff includes about 20 students and 3 full-time staff members.• They are active in sexual violence prevention education with groups such

as Break the Silence, SATISFY, Feminist Alliance and support undergraduate-led projects such as the Clothesline project, the Vagina Monologues, Take Back the Night and encourage open discussions about sexual and feminist issues.

• Dr. Jones : “Over the past few years that I’ve worked here, I’ve seen -an increase in the number of people getting involved in the women’s center,

-an increase in pride and advocacy for feminist issues, -an increase in open dialogue about sex and prevention -a stronger connection between the diverse groups at Lehigh- An increase in community partnership programs to improve the status of women not only at Lehigh but in the community and the world as well.”

Plans for the Future• The staff at the Women’s Center are conducting research

to question how social institutions like media, government, and the workplace impact us based on our gender.

• The Women’s Center strives to build a strong, equitable community for both men and women so don’t hesitate to stop by!

• Lehigh University is one of seven 2010 recipients of an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant from the NSF (National Science Foundation) to encourage women in science and engineering. It will evaluate Lehigh’s climate and policies, conduct social science research and make recommendations to transform Lehigh over the next five years.

Work cited• Internet:

• http://www4.lehigh.edu/studentlife/equity/womens.aspx• http://advance.cc.lehigh.edu/• : http://www.wiareport.com/2011/09/lehigh-university-celebrates-40-years-of-coeducation/• http://www.lehigh.edu/~inmca/index.shtml

• Books:• Shonbeck, Heidi. Living in a Man's World: A Study of Tokenism and Female Entrance into Lehigh University. 2009. SC LPub

0261 • Lehigh University, Commission on Minorities, Commission on Women. Final Report. (1990)

Work cited• Yates, W. Ross. Lehigh University : A History Of

Education In Engineering, Business, And The Human Condition. n.p.: Lehigh University Press, 1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 28 Oct. 2012.

• Lehigh University." CollegeData. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/ college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=794>.

• Lehigh University. Lehigh University, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012