Multicultural Student Services
- Laura Lehman (Deactivated)
- Emily Forrer (Deactivated)
- Shirley Ewald (Deactivated)
- Bernadette M Griffith [X] (Unlicensed)
Web: https://emu.edu/studentlife/multicultural
Phone: (540) 432-4458
The Multicultural Student Services office serves students who have been historically underrepresented and marginalized in our country as well as students from many nations of the world. Their presence helps enrich the campus and helps bring the global connection into daily campus life. We provide them with tools and resources to enhance their sense of belonging and help them successfully navigate the complex challenges and opportunities they may encounter during their time at EMU.
We strive to build connections with campus constituencies who work with and on behalf of multicultural students to collaborate on areas of mutual concern; and strengthen cultural understanding across areas of difference, including national/international background, language, and all areas of identity.
The Multicultural Student Services office provides support and advocacy to American students of African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent (AHANA). Also, with guidance from staff, students are empowered to succeed academically, culturally, socially, and spiritually. We assist students in recognizing, cultivating, and actualizing their potential to thrive and succeed at EMU and beyond. This is accomplished through student-run organizations such as the Black Student Union, Latino Student Alliance, Alpha and Omega Dancers for Christ, and the EMU Gospel Choir. These clubs are advised by the director of Multicultural Student Services and serve as a venue for cross-cultural experiences for the entire EMU and greater community. Students, faculty, and staff benefit from opportunities to partake in our positive, welcoming, and diverse community.
The office and student clubs offer annual campus-wide programs and encourage the EMU and greater community to participate. Some of our offerings include Black History Month, Latino Heritage Month, Town Hall on Race, Alfombra, and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, along with other cultural activities.
Multicultural Student Services provides an inviting environment for multicultural students at Eastern Mennonite University. We embrace the African Proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We provide a place for students to develop and grow through mentoring each other, spending time together, and planning and implementing programs for the campus and greater community, with the goal of affirming and celebrating diversity. Welcome to “The Village.”