Running head: FINAL 1

FINAL 6PROMOTING CHANGE IN MULTICULTURAL COLLEGE ENVIORNMENTSIntroductionSince the beginning of higher education in the United States, post-secondary institutions have continued to develop and change over time; and will continue to do so in the years to come. A major area of change has been that of the student body populations on campuses, which are more diverse than ever before. However, as institutions become more diverse, the issue of whether or not they are prepared to embrace this change arises. With higher education attendance predicted to continue on an upward trend, practitioners in multicultural college environments must understand and promote changes that will benefit the growth and development of their campus. No longer can an institution continue to function in the same manner as decades past, but instead must adapt to meet the needs of their multicultural student body, as well as faculty and staff. Because every institution of higher education is unique in its own way, they must approach and solve issues differently: the manner in which one institution addresses an issue may be vastly different than another institution. The following includes some ways in which practitioners in a multicultural college environment might promote changes associated with college attendance.Comment by Fayth Parks: Great introductionInstitutional CharacteristicsIn order to develop and promote changes in a multicultural college environment, one must first understand the institution with which they are looking to promote change. For the purposes of this paper, College X will serve as the name of the institution with the following being a brief description of key characteristics of College X. College X is a public liberal arts institution located in a small southern city roughly 100 miles from the state capitol. With a total enrollment of 6,500 students (5,700 undergraduate and 800 graduate students), College X serves a more traditional student, aged 18 to 22. All incoming freshmen are required to live on campus for their first academic year. Of the 1,400 freshmen that enroll each fall, about 90 percent are in-state residents and are typically female, from suburban areas, middle to upper socioeconomic families, and are predominately white. Because of College Xs Carnegie classification, location, and being a predominately white institution (PWI), it attracts a particular type of student; traditional in age, female, white, from middle to upper socioeconomic family, and have parent/s who attended college. Based on Pascarella & Terenzinis (2005) idea that involvement in diversity experiences positively influence student learning, College X would greatly benefit from a more diverse student body in addition to multicultural programing, interactions, and experiences for all students (p. 130). Functional Areas to ConsiderCollege X will need to create specific programming for the various cultural subgroups that will emerge on their campus. These students progress through many of the same development stages as others students but are often times faced with more issues and occasionally considered more at risk then other student populations. Because of this, College X must consider what type of programming will benefit various subpopulations in their social, psychological, and educational growth during their college education and beyond.Admissions Recruitment is where it all begins: the starting point of a students college search and selection process. As a potential student progresses through their college search process, one of the major questions that they will ask themselves is that of, do I see myself here. Do I fit in? It is important that potential students can visualize themselves on a college campus, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. An issue that African American students encounter when they are researching a Predominately White Institution (PWI) is that of seeing brochures and websites full of students and professors of the majority. Because of this, students of color have more difficulty with picturing themselves on a PWI campus than they do at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). For College X, this issue is intensified by the fact that they are located away from an urban area and have limited funds to help students financially.How a potential student perceives a college campus is a major influencer in their decision of where to attend. According to Chavous T.M.(2002), African American students views of the way race functions in PWI environments are especially important in their social and academic adjustment. African American students at PWIs have reported feeling alienated and hypervisible due to their race, and perceiving hostile racial climate on campus has been associated with lower academic adjustment, performance, and college persistence (p. 143). To avoid this, College X should consider an overnight program for qualified high school seniors from underrepresented groups including students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. This program would provide underrepresented students the opportunity to visit campus, sit in on a class, attend presentations about the financial aid process and campus life, discover what campus resources are available, and meet with faculty, staff and students through gatherings and other social events. And most importantly, these potential students will have the opportunity to interact with other students experiencing the same conditions as they. Comment by Fayth Parks: APA style- dont need authors first name initials, last name and year of publication ex. Chavous (2002)In addition to developing an overnight experience for underrepresented student populations, College X would benefit from the development of a scholarship program directly tied to on-campus working opportunities and a mentor/mentee relationship. Affordability is a major issue for many underrepresented students and the chance to earn some financial support would benefit many students. In addition to earning this scholarship, students would be paired up with a faculty or staff mentor. This mentor would be able to hold the student accountable while also providing the opportunity to gain some work experience in their office or division. Guidance and support for underrepresented students will help these students to create positive relationships as well as increase their persistence in college, which leads to graduation.Curriculum and Student AffairsAnother area that College X must examine is that of creating diverse experiences for students both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Diverse experiences include formal activities such as enrolling in ethnic or gender students or other diversity courses, having racially or culturally diverse instructors, and attending racial-cultural awareness workshops as well as to an array of more informal activities and experiences, such as developing diverse friendship groups, socializing with students from diverse racial-ethnic background, and discussing racial-ethnic or social justice issues (Pascarella & T Terenzini, 2005, p. 638). Since students change and develop through interconnected in- and out-of-class experiences, exposure to such experiences will help in shaping important cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. In order to provide diverse experiences to their students, College X must increase their structural diversity in addition to the student population. Human Resources is involved in the hiring process of all faculty and staff on campus and must follow all federal laws and regulations pertaining to hiring practices. But by hiring a more diverse employee base, Campus X will better reflect and represent the types of students they wish to recruit, enroll and graduate.Comment by Fayth Parks: Good pointBeyond structural diversity, Campus X can begin to incorporate diverse experiences beginning with their freshmen seminar course. This is a course that is required of all incoming freshmen, is based on the students chosen academic area of interest and taught by the respective academic advisor. By incorporating diverse experiences in the first semester of freshmen year, the students of College X will begin to experience more independent and positive influences in a variety of cognitive and psychosocial areas according to Pascarella & Terenzini (2005). The development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, self-esteem, locus of control, and openness to intellectual challenge and diversity are outcome that will not just benefit a college student, but will also benefit a graduate many years after college. And the addition of diverse experiences in any course benefits all students about the same, regardless of their racial-ethnic origins.Conclusion Comment by Fayth Parks: Good job integrating student development theories and concepts with functional areas and diversity issues.When considering these varying groups of students and their development, Arthur Chickerings seven vectors of student development is practical as this theory can be applied to all college students, of all ages, regardless of their gender or background. Students who seek to obtain a post-secondary education will encounter identity development no matter what route they choose to take, and could very well move at different rates and even backwards from their peers as they journey toward individuation. These students will encounter new and more complex ideas, values, beliefs, and other people as they enter college, but through their own struggle toward development, will merge these new positions with their own. Our institutions of higher education are seeking to graduate more diverse and global citizens and progression through Chickerings seven vectors will help students to achieve this goal.It is important for institutions of higher education to understand the importance and value of having a multicultural campus; diversity is an integral part to the growth and development of a campus. As barriers continue to be broken and higher education becomes more accessible to traditionally underrepresented populations, administrators must be prepared to take action quickly in order to accommodate their needs. Considering that faculty, staff and students, benefit from a diverse campus and that we live in a multicultural world, it is essential that administrators work to develop and promote a more multicultural environment on their campuses immediately.

ReferencesChavous, T. (2002). African American college students in predominantly White institutions of higher education: Considerations of race and gender. African American Research Perspectives, 8(1), 142-150.Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Feedback:Jessica, Minimum 2 functional areas as required on the course syllabus reduced your score by one point because there's an additional point for 3 or more functional areas per the grading rubric. However, your total points for the course earn a final grade of A.

Good job integrating student development theories and concepts with functional areas and diversity issues

J GoreJ Gore