Creating Campus Community: Forming Institutional Responses to Students' Lack of Cultural Competencies

This session explores how predominantly white institutions address students' lack of cross cultural awareness and racial stereotyping. A team of administrators, faculty and students share and critique real life situations for analysis. The goal is to use a case study approach to discuss six issues critical in creating effective responses to incidents. Sherwood Smith, Ph.D. Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Cultural Pluralism, University of Vermont Sarah Conant Martin Graduate Student, Higher Education and Student Affairs Program, University of Vermont Jacob Diaz Doctoral Candidate, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Vermont Wilfrido Cruz Graduate Student, Higher Education/Student Affairs Administration Program, University of Vermont The goal of this presentation is to utilize a framework of six clearly defined issues to consider the effectiveness of different responses to campus incidents grounded in either a lack of cultural awareness and/ or racial stereotyping. The presentation assumes the overall objective is to raise awareness about the issues of power, culture and context that impact on our methods of addressing complex situations. A team of presenters from different marginalized populations share some of their experiences at a range of higher education institutions. Although the focus of the presentation is on students we know that similar issues apply to faculty and staff populations. The presentation explores how predominately white institutions address or neglect to address students' lack of cross cultural awareness and racial stereotypes. The goal is to use a case study approach to discuss six issues critical in creating effective responses to incidents. Individual team members will present cases that explicitly illustrate one or more of the issues. 1. Intercultural Communication Skills 2. Social Construction 3. Personal Experience 4. Identity Development 5. Intent versus Outcome 6. Individual versus Institutional Power and Privilege Participants in the presentation will gain: 1. Understanding of a specific set of criteria that can be used in planning and assessing responses. 2. Developed language for engaging in constructive dialogue around cross cultural conflicts. 3. Experience in applying our criteria to specific situations. The challenge is to evaluate whether or not we are providing what was intended, with the desired outcomes for those intended to receive the benefits. Understanding begins with defining critical issues and applying them to the situation at hand. As our populations' cultural changes it means that Student Affairs staff and faculty must have the skills to create flexible responses to complex situations. Cultural assumptions within a structural framework must be explicit if professionals and para-professionals are to respond effectively. The program draws on the works of Banks (1994), Bennett (1998), Caplan (1993), Evan & Wall (1991) and Schon (1983), to expand the tools available for an effective and professional response.  He recently attained a Master's of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont. His current interests are in the exploration of how students of color make meaning in their lives on predominately white campus settings and how their ethnic/ racial identity development impacts this process. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Program at the University of Vermont. Wilfrido Cruz was born and raised in the Mexican State of Guerrero. At the age of fifteen, his parents migrated North in search of a better life-style. He began his college education at Mira Costa Community College in Oceanside, California. He then transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he obtained his Bachelor's of Arts degree in Latin-American/Latino Studies and Education. Wilfrido is currently a graduate student at the University of Vermont's Higher Education/Student Affairs Administration program. As a graduate student in a predominantly white institution, Wilfrido has develop an interest in exploring new alternatives to provide minority students with quality education and array of experiences they would and/or could acquire in more diverse institutions.