Multi-Cultural Affairs office does not
cater only to the needs of minorities
I Director says racial tension reduced, but still evident
By Virginia Newton
Staff Reporter _
When you walk into the Multi
cultural Affairs office you are walk
ing into the future, according to
Jimmi Smith, department director.
“You see people of many differ
ent colors and races when you
walk into the MCA office,” he said.
“The old look where everything
was white will no longer be true.”
Back in 1975, we in my office
had the insight to begin the con
cept of multi-cultural affairs."
Smith said the Multi-Cultural
Affairs office saw the need to in
crease UNL’s enrollment of ethnic
and racial minorities. But, Smith
added, the MCA office does not
cater only to the needs of minority
students—first-generation students
attending the university, and low
income students also receive assis
tance — regardless of their color.
“We’ve grown far beyond the
issue of being just race to include
those other dimensions that re
volve around a larger inclusive
number of people,” Smith said.
Although the racial tension on
campus is still evident, and there is
a racial strain on the student body,
Smith said the strain has decreased
considerably over the years — and
he remains optimistic.
“We have a racial climate that
has improved over that of the 1970s,
in part, because of the persistence
of students of color... taking their
rightful places on this campus,”
Smith said.
“I still think right now the envi
ronment could be characterized as
very chilly, to hostile,” he said.
Terry Goods, Educational Spe
cialist in the MCA office, said he
believed in the philosophy of equal
opportunities through services.
“It’s important that a racially mi
nority student on a predominately
white campus can be equally as
successful as anyone else,” Goods
said. “What we do is try to provide
the services needed for success.
. N
Goods said anytime a student
makes up only one or two percent
of their ethnic population, and
you’re a captured audience of that
population, “it makes things diffi
cult.’’
“Considering that you live and
go to school in that same environ
ment. . . you’re trapped in that
environment,” he said.
Goods said if a community did
not provide spiritual or cultural
needs for students, they are going
to have a problem staying there.
“If you are calling this a univer
sity, then you have to have culture
that represents everyone, because
that’s a university,” Goods said.
“(Students) are here to learn how to
deal with other people.”
Goods said students come to a
university to learn how to work
with the system and through the
system, and how to deal with the
real world.
Smith said learning other cul
tures should not make people feel
uncomfortable or threatened, in
stead they should enjoy the knowl
edge and understanding they re
ceive from learning othSr traditions
and beliefs.
“Those of us who take the time
to get beyond our own racial views
— get beyond our own race —
generally speaking, people who
areself-conlident about themselves,
don’t fear other people’s culture."
— ■
Travis Heying/DN
Jimmi Smith, director of Multi-Cultural Affairs, takes time out of busy schedule to discuss issues of race at UNL.