Running head: FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 1

Functional Area Study:

Foundations for and Areas of Growth in Multicultural Student Services

Jesus Gomez

Loyola University Chicago

FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 2

Introduction

I still remember every morning walking up those six flights of stairs from the basement to

the second floor of Wilder Hall, home to the Oberlin College Multicultural Resource Center

(MRC). The first site one would see upon entering the office door where the rust colored

couches, whose worn material clearly showed the twenty years’ worth of students, staff, and

faculty that had occupied their space. The walls carried the colorful frames of many MRC past

events hosted by the center’s staff and students, such as the Latinx Heritage Month, Queerfest,

Indigenous Women Series and My Name is My Own Series. Always noticeable was the mini-

library that held many radical and powerful narratives that had influenced and sparked debates

amongst the students and protest on the campus about the inequalities faced by students of color,

many of whom identified as queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. Beyond this

formative library, one would find two separate office spaces where the MRC’s four Community

Coordinators shared not only their physical work space but also contributions to each other’s

professional development; the walls of their office space could recount years’ worth of

counseling and supporting students through their struggles and triumphs in addition to the

countless late night work sessions preparing for the next day’s allyship training or student group

retreat. Right down the hallway from the MRC was the gender neutral restroom whose placard

read “All Gender Restroom” and whose spirit embraced life outside of the rigid gender binary

too often accepted as the hegemonic norm of U.S. society. While my memories of the MRC’s

physical space speak to the importance of having a safe and empowering environment for

underrepresented students, it is the lived experiences that I gained while working in that space

that give me the motivation to struggle, fall, and succeed in my endeavors to advocate for these

underrepresented identities in higher education.

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The necessity for multicultural student services, including specific spaces dedicated to

underrepresented students described above, is crucial for the success of student affairs in higher

education (Chang, Milem & Antonio, 2011; Renn & Patton, 2011; CAS, 2009, p. 3; Shuford,

2011, p. 35). For example, multicultural student services has the potential to help improve

student performance, support identity development, build leadership skills and address the

disparity between college enrollment and matriculation of students of color1 by focusing on

retention, persistence, and success. Chang, Milem and Antonio (2011) speak to this necessity of

multicultural student services in their chapter, “Campus Climate and Diversity,” by affirming

that “campuses should develop and support programs shown to increase [underrepresented

students’] retention and educational outcomes” (p. 54). Part of these authors’ recommendation is

crafting “retention programs that offer… cultural centers that serve as physical homes and

central gathering places for students, thus providing social anchors for those students most at risk

of dropping out” (p. 54). The aggregate impact of creating these types of spaces help build and

foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for underrepresented students, which

ultimately improve individual retention rates and the overall quality of institutions of higher

education; not only do these services support the daily lives of students outside the classroom but

the services also help to inform the larger issue of diversity within campus life and college

administration. Along these lines, multicultural student services are able to support the “micro”

while influencing the “macro” level of student affairs. As eloquently written by the Council for

the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) (2009), “Strong [multicultural student

programs and services] are essential to the retention and graduation rates of students as well as

the multicultural education of the campus” (p. 3).

1
Though I use the term students of color, I recognize that these identities are intersectional and often include
identity components beyond the scope of race.
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 4

I have chosen multicultural student services, in particular, the composition of

multicultural resource centers, as the focus of this functional area study in order to: 1) explore

the various dynamics of multicultural student services (i.e., multicultural competency, spaces and

funding resources), 2) highlight best practices in the field, and 3) suggest areas for growth as it

relates to both the mentality of and practices toward multicultural student services. In order to

explore these areas, I will utilize both my own personal experiences, including my shadow study

at Northeastern Illinois University, in addition to a literature review on the topic of multicultural

student services, and multicultural resource centers in particular. Selecting this topic is of great

importance to me, not only because of my professional experience at Oberlin and what I have

left to learn regarding student affairs, but also because of my personal experience having been an

underrepresented student myself struggling to navigate an institution of higher education.

Through this study, I ultimately seek to better understand the landscape of multicultural student

services in U.S. higher education whilst also informing my own personal and professional

development as an aspiring leader in the same area of focus.

Shadow Experience

Having worked as a student staff member in the Multicultural Student Affairs office in

the Center for Cross Cultural Engagement at Denison for four years and then as a professional

staff member in the Multicultural Resource Center at Oberlin College for an additional two,

choosing to shadow a professional within the multicultural student services field for this project

came as an easy decision. I knew that, while I was able to personally experience how impactful

multicultural student spaces can be, there was much more to be learned about the topic, as the

spaces I had previously engaged in were by no means perfect or without room for

improvement. In fact, I personally witnessed through my previous experiences that student

FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 5

affairs spaces, particularly those dedicated to underrepresented students, must be able to adapt to

an increasingly ever-changing student body of higher education. Hussar and Baily’s (2013)

Projections of Education Statistics to 2021 support this argument as they affirmed, while there is

a projected increase of 4% for White students from 2010 to 2021, this same time frame is

projected to see increases of 20% for Asian/Pacific Islander students, 25% for Black students and

42% for Hispanic students (p. 23). These projections clearly show the anticipated increase in

multicultural students’ enrollment in postsecondary education, which directly speak to the need

for additional exploration of and adaptability with multicultural student services.

Taking this idea one step further, my recent work experience as a graduate intern at

Oakton Community College has challenged me to consider what multicultural student services

look like beyond that at small, highly selective liberal art institutions, such as Denison University

and Oberlin College where my previous experiences took place. While Hussar and Bailey’s

(2013) projections speak to an increase of underrepresented students enrolling in college, what

does this increase mean for institutions of higher education that vary in setting, composition and

structure? How are multicultural student services influenced by the type of academic setting in

which they occur? My experiences thus far tell me that the dynamics of a community college are

extremely different from private, liberal art institutions (i.e., student body, campus v. non-

residential, school location and size), which adds an additional layer of complexity to this

exploration. For these reasons, my previous work experience and current internship combined

together in influencing the direction of my shadow study project, as I intentionally searched for

individuals within the multicultural student services field outside the framework of a small,

private setting.
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 6

In addition to my professional motivations, my shadow study is also largely guided by

my own personal background and Latino identity. The professional roles I have had since my

college graduation have both been specific to my ethnic/racial identity, as I served as the

Latino/a/x Community Coordinator while at Oberlin and am currently serving as the Coordinator

for the Association for Nurturing and Developing the Advancement of Latinos/as/xs in

Education (ANDALE) at Oakton Community College. These work experiences have confirmed

for me my desire to focus my career in identity-based student affairs work, particularly work that

is founded in collaborative settings serving various underrepresented groups in an intersectional

approach, which has ultimately influenced the path of my shadow study project.

While I was confident in selecting the type of setting I wanted to focus my shadow study,

identifying a specific professional to shadow originally seemed somewhat difficult, as many of

my professional network connections had been made back in Ohio. However, a one-on-one

advisory meeting I recently had with TRIO advisor, Joe Palencia, while interning at Oakton

resulted in a recommendation to connect with Juan Guardia, the Assistant Vice President for

Student Affairs at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)

(Griffin & Hurtado, 2011, p. 36-7), who is also responsible for directing the campus’ Angelina

Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs. This particular recommendation came

with high marks and a personal connection, as Juan and I are both members of Phi Iota Alpha

Fraternity Inc., a Latino-based organization. In addition to my fraternity connection, I

immediately made a personal family connection, as my younger cousin had just begun his

Bachelors of Art in the fall of 2014 at NEIU. These pieces of identity-based and familial-based

connections solidified my decision to shadow Juan for my functional area study, as I saw NEIU

as the perfect location for my project. Not only would this selection provide me with an
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 7

opportunity to see how a multicultural student service center operates in a large, public

institution, but I would also have the chance to shadow and learn from a prominent Latino

professional whose position I would certainly consider pursuing in my future. For these reasons,

I became confident that, not only would the setting of my shadow study allow me to expand my

understanding of and experience with multicultural student services, but it would also ground me

in personally relevant connections.

Because my shadow study experience with Juan is both professionally and personally

relevant, I believe recognizing Juan’s personal journey to his current employment position

deserves acknowledgement, as a large part of my personal observations and lessons learned from

interacting with Juan were related to his personal journey as a Latino professional. Throughout

my two days of discussions and observations, I learned that Juan’s educational journey included

several different stops at both community college and state universities, during which he earned

not only his Bachelor of Science in Communication and Master of Science in Higher Education,

but also a Graduate Certificate in Community College Teaching and finally a Doctorate of

Philosophy in Educational Leadership/Higher Education Administration (J. Guardia, personal

communication, October 6th, 2014). The trajectory of Juan’s education resonated with me on a

personal level, as I interpreted the richness of his educational journey as inspiration for my

own. In addition to his education, I also found Juan’s employment history prior to coming to

NEIU noteworthy. Before joining NEIU, Juan worked at George Mason University as an

Assistant Director for the Office of Diversity Programs and Services and then at Florida State

University as the Multicultural Affairs Director (personal communication, October 6th,

2014). These professional accomplishments were quite amazing to hear as someone who
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identifies as a Latino male, as Juan’s success in higher education gives me great hope for my

own professional future.

The types of activities that consume Juan’s day at NEIU embody his goal of connecting

with and supporting underrepresented students who aspire to follow a similar path of

success. As the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Juan’s job responsibilities include

administrative, programming, research and planning duties as they relate to NEIU’s Division of

Student Affairs. The activities I was able to shadow included accompanying Juan to a candidate

interview for the open LGBTQA Director position in addition to participating in a professional

development presentation for the Student Affairs department. Juan described that his typical day

can look very different and often includes unexpected meetings, such as an emergency meeting

called while I was shadowing him in order to address an urgent inter-departmental funding issue.

One particular component of Juan’s current job responsibilities, specifically related to his

work with the Angelina Pedroso Center, proved to be very informative for this functional area

study. The Angelina Pedroso Center is an identity-based office that seeks to “foster intercultural

awareness and inclusivity through educational and co-curricular initiatives that empower

students to be agents of social change” (Northeastern Illinois University, 2014). The Pedroso

Center currently has five distinct resource centers dedicated to different student communities,

including Latino/a, African and African-American, Asian/Global, LGBTQA and women, all of

which are overseen by Juan. As described by Juan, and supported via the Pedroso Center’s

website, the purpose of supporting these types of resources centers is to “engage all students at

NEIU to create and sustain a culture of inclusivity across the boundaries of culture, sexual

orientation, gender, and other social identities” (Northeastern Illinois University, 2014).
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 9

What sparked my attention with this particular component of Juan’s work was the

intersectionality of identities brought together under the guidance of the Angelina Pedroso

Center, which is similar to the programmatic structure utilized at Oberlin’s MRC and the model

of multicultural student services that I seek to learn more about. Additionally, Juan informed me

during my shadow study experience that the Pedroso Center has upcoming construction plans to

bring both the Women’s Resource Center and LGBTQA Resource Center into the same physical

space as the Latino/a, African and African-American and Asian and Global Resource Centers, as

to create one cohesive space for all the Pedroso Center programs. As affirmed by Juan, this

unity of office space would allow for easier collaboration and communication between the office

administrators and for students who identify intersectionally between multiple identity spaces (J.

Guardia, personal communication, October 6th, 2014).

In terms of his specific skills, I believe Juan is one of the most direct and astute people I

have met. He has many important values, one of which is to hold his staff accountable in making

sure that work is getting done to the best of one’s ability. Transparency is another important

principle Juan embodies in his work, as he expressed his disdain for “surprises” and unexpected

happenings. For this reason, Juan was adamant that principles around and skills with

communication and honesty is crucial for effective working relationships between staff and

students. Alongside transparent communication, Juan also spoke to the importance of having

good morale within his staff. On this topic, Juan was open that his view on staff morale involves

praising staff and acknowledging their efforts in completing large projects, often through verbal

and written recognition, while being cognizant of expecting staff to do their typical job

responsibilities without requiring additional direction (J. Guardia, personal communication,

October 6th, 2014).

FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 10

One of the most significant lessons of my experience shadowing Juan was learning about

his effort in finding the right balance between the administrative/managerial side of his job

responsibilities with the direct contact and relationship building with students, as his role as a

director does not afford him as much time with students as he would like. Juan acknowledged

that his future goal of becoming a Vice President of Student Affairs will likely mean even less

time for direct contact with students, and in turn, require more finessed skills around time

management and prioritizing space for those relationships. This component of being a student

affairs professional is an issue that I have only begun to think about in my trajectory in the higher

education field. As I continue to receive opportunities to move up in the field, I anticipate

having less time to build connections with students, which will require strengthening the same

skill set that Juan is currently navigating.

In this sense, I believe drawing on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) competency

for student affairs, as outlined in the ACPA and NASPA Professional Competency Areas for

Student Affairs Practitioners (2010), speaks to the range of Juan’s job responsibilities and skills,

as Juan is forged with the task of overseeing student affairs’ activities related to the basic,

intermediate and advanced components of this competency. For example, as identified as a basic

level of this competency, Juan “design[s] culturally relevant and inclusive programs, services,

policies, and practices,” as illustrated by the respective resource centers of the Pedroso Center

(ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 12). Likewise, Juan has also engages the advanced level of the EDI

competency by “provid[ing] consultation to other units, divisions, or institutions on strategies to

increase support and opportunities for underrepresented groups,” as demonstrated by his most

recent speaking engagement, titled “Latino/as in Higher Education: Demographics, Greeks and

Leadership” that he delivered at the University of Connecticut in 2014 (p. 13). These two
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examples are but a few in how Juan’s work at NEIU’s Division of Student Affairs implements

and embodies the spirit of the EDI competency, as he ultimately seeks to “create learning

environments that are enriched with diverse views and people,” as well as “create an institutional

ethos that accepts and celebrates differences among people, helping to free them of any

misconceptions and prejudices” (p. 12-13).

Overall, it was great to see Juan speak about his experience and growth as a professional,

as I found this part of my shadow study personally beneficial in helping calm my own anxiety

about my professional development. Understanding that I have much more to learn about being

a student affairs professional, Juan’s experience helps me stay grounded and acknowledge that

we do not come into this profession as all knowing. Many things are changing in our profession

on a daily basis, and perhaps the best skills to develop is being able to adapt and learn from our

failures in order to continue achieving our successes.

Literature Review

The inclusion of multicultural student services in higher education student affairs grew in

importance during the 1960s and 1970s, after the student movements of the time fostered the

introduction of “cultural centers… with the purpose of providing welcoming environments for

racially underrepresented groups, LGBT students, international students and women” (Renn &

Patton, 2011, p. 252). As set forth in Strange and Banning’s (2001) Educating by Design, the

existence of these cultural centers, which provided both services and spaces dedicated to

underrepresented students on primarily White campuses, spoke to the topics of “inclusion,

safety, involvement and community,” themes that were salient at that time and continue to be so

in current student affairs (as cited by Renn & Patton, 2011, p. 52). Given forty plus years of

development and implementation of these types of student centers on college campuses across
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the United States, one would expect a decent amount of research to exist on the topic of

multicultural student services, and centers2 in particular. However, as recognized by Renn and

Patton (2011), “Although their presence is strong and represents a solid effort to improve the

campus environment, little research exists to examine the role of cultural centers” (p.

252). Recognizing the lack of existing research as a potential limitation to the exploration of

multicultural student services, this literature review seeks to explore what research has been done

in this particular area of student affairs, focusing on the subtopic of multicultural resource

centers. In doing so, the following review will highlight critical and salient points of existing

research as well as acknowledge barriers to enhancing multicultural student services.

One salient point that comes out of the existing research regarding multicultural student

services, and multicultural resource centers in particular, is the importance of multicultural

competence (Pope & Mueller, 2011). As defined by Pope and Mueller (2011), multicultural

competence can be defined as the “attitudes, values, beliefs, and assumptions that shape our

understanding of other individuals who are culturally different from us” (p. 338). Looking at this

concept in more detail, embodying multicultural competency encompasses “being self-aware and

understanding the impact that one’s upbringing, life experiences, and cultural worldview have on

perceptions and interpersonal actions” (p. 338). Important to note here is that multicultural

competency is not just self-awareness but also requires “be[ing] open to challenging any

misinformation [one has] absorbed and unlearning any flawed assumptions and beliefs” (p.

338). In this sense, multicultural competency necessitates both an awareness and understanding

of the concept in theory as well as a willingness to engage the concept in practice. This

2
For the purposes of this paper, the terms “multicultural resource centers” and “cultural centers” are being used
interchangeably, though I understand that there can be degrees of difference between the two, as pointed out in other
literature used in this paper.
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 13

“tripartite model of multicultural awareness” that focuses on awareness, knowledge and skills is

thus a foundational structure for multicultural competency (p. 338).

Applying this concept to multicultural student services in higher education, multicultural

competency comes to life through Rhoads and Black’s (1995) article regarding transformative

educators. Rhoads and Black (1995) describe how transformative educators approach their work

with a social justice lens, ultimately seeking to empower students to “develop a critical

consciousness, engage in social and cultural transformation, and help create a more just and

equitable society” (1995, p. 413). In this sense, multicultural competency becomes a foundation

for achieving these transformative education goals, while multicultural student services become a

vehicle through which transformative education can occur and create impactful change on

campus and beyond.

Taking these ideas regarding multicultural competency and transformative education one

step further, another salient point that surfaces from the existing research identifies the

physicality of space as another critical component to multicultural student services. Manning

(1994) listed seven different principles speaking to how student affairs practitioners can “act as

transformative educators,” one of which calls for “building empowering social and cultural

settings” (as cited in Rhoads and Black, 1995, p. 418). This specific principle identifies a

“critical cultural perspective” that argues for spaces like the MRC at Oberlin College, which can

“provide the necessary conditions for students to develop to their fullest potential as community

members and as democratic citizens” (1995, p. 419). The idea here is that multicultural resource

centers can serve as the foundation for multiculturally competent spaces where students, as well

as staff, can engage in transformative education as to promote social justice both on campus and

in the larger society. The warning here, however, is that the success of these spaces is partly
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based on institutional administrations also valuing the priority of creating a truly diverse and

equitable environment for all students, faculty and staff, as funding these spaces and providing

sufficient resources are vital elements for their existence and success.

The centrality of space in understanding multicultural student services is clearly

illustrated in Renn and Patton’s (2011) discussion regarding “Ecological Niches,” which looked

to additional research by Patton (2006) on “Black culture centers (BCCs) (2011, p. 252). In this

case, Renn and Patton (2011) explained that “Most important among the findings was that BCCs

facilitated positive identity development, preserved Black culture, and served as ‘a home away

from home’ for African American students” (p. 252). The beneficial outcomes of creating

physical spaces for means of support for underrepresented students, in this case Black students,

“suggest that the establishment of cultural centers on campus can serve as crucial interventions

for students by promoting retention, engagement, and success” (p. 252). This latter quote

compares the physical space of multicultural resource centers to an “intervention,” transcending

the significance of these spaces beyond that of four stagnant walls where students and staff

congregate, and instead, bring an active, lively dimension to what these spaces are capable of

fostering for underrepresented communities. This particular point is enriched when considering

the previous mention of transformative education, as the act of engaging in transformative

education within these spaces embodies this sense of intervention and promotes active

participation, contribution and reciprocation from those utilizing the given space.

While the abovementioned literature review speaks to critical points for effective

multicultural student services, and particularly multicultural resource centers (i.e. multicultural

competency, transformative education, physical spaces and adequate funding), it is also

important to recognize what existing research tells us about barriers to implementing ideal
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structures of multicultural student services. By doing so, we can begin to strategize around

addressing these barriers in order to create viable, sustainable options for implementing realistic

and achievable goals as they relate to multicultural student services, which will be addressed in

the following section. As for now, looking to specific barriers will contribute to our

understanding of how multicultural student services currently operate in settings of higher

education.

Garnering plentiful and fruitful resources to support critical programs like multicultural

resource centers is often the ideal solution in creating and maintaining multicultural student

services. However, existing research shows that the reality of these services is often the

opposite, characterized by scarce institutional budgets ill prepared to support the crucial services

needed for student success and campus diversity. As such, while opposition to multicultural

student services may not take a blatant or overt form devaluing their existence, a lack of

institutional support or prioritization produce similar repercussions of underfunded student

support services. Breslawski (2013) described this very situation of how institutional

administrators can directly impact multicultural student services, whether intentional or not, by

failing to prioritize underrepresented students; he wrote,

A final thought on enrollment management is that, for all intents and purposes, resources

are wasted when an unqualified student is admitted to the institution. Students who are

not able or not ready to pursue college-level work are likely to be problematic in terms of

classroom performance and retention… Budgets are now so restrictive that most

institutions simply can’t afford to waste resources. (p. 194)

This particular excerpt speaks to the urgency of college institutions to utilize resources as

efficiently and effectively as possible, which as argued by Brewslawksi (2013), often do not
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include those students who are unable to perform to standards. Locating this argument in reality,

the question of who constitutes an “unqualified student” often becomes closely intertwined with

race and other identity factors for underrepresented students, as these students are often the ones

who have received less than adequate preparation in their secondary schools due to larger

systemic issues. As such, this excerpt proposes that investment in underrepresented communities

is typically not financially beneficial for colleges, whose resources could be better invested

elsewhere, such as in revenue producing outlets. For this reason, I believe Breslawski’s chapter

regarding “Considerations for Aligning Curriculum and Resources” speaks to a challenge that

multicultural student services face in contexts of four-year institutions, as they must convince

administration of their worth (financial, personal, etc.) in order to receive the necessary funding

for operations. For, without such funding and resources, multicultural resource centers would be

unable to provide the type of necessary support regarding student performance, identity

development, leadership skill development and ultimately address the issue of college

graduation/matriculation of underrepresented students.

Additional research on the topic of funding does speak to the way in which institutional

setting can be a deciding factor in what type of funding is available to multicultural student

services, though Stewart and Bridges (2011) caution scholars to assume a one-size fits all

approach in understanding budget allocations. Specifically, these authors affirmed, “it would be

spurious to assume that [multicultural student services] offices at larger institutions necessarily

have more generous budget allotments. Therefore, given the extensive range of responsibilities

charged to these offices, a good number of them might be underbudgeted” (2011, p. 50). This

particular statement recognizes that, while larger institutions may produce larger revenue

streams, it is not guaranteed that multicultural student services automatically receive larger
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budgets than those same services at smaller institutions, as the degree of institutional backing

may be a strong indicator of how much financial support is provided to that particular

institution’s multicultural student services. Ferguson and Thomas-Rashid (2011) speak to this

same issue regarding budgets as potential barriers, as they wrote “The irony for many was that,

unlike their public or community college counterparts, the higher tuitions at their private colleges

and university would seemingly result in significantly large programming budgets. However,

this was clearly not the case” (p. 137). Ferguson and Thomas-Rashid (2011) continued by

explaining, “Many [multicultural student services] administrators stated they were under-

budgeted compared to their colleagues in other areas of student affairs, such as student activities

or residence life,” which again speaks to the potential barrier of inadequate funding as a reason

for stunted growth and effectiveness in multicultural student services (p. 137). Looking at this

issue, we can highlight institutional administration’s prioritization of campus diversity as an

important factor in deciding what program areas, even within the realm of student affairs, receive

sizeable monies.

Suggested Areas for Growth

There is significant work that remains to be done in the area of multicultural student

services. This room for improvement not only pertains to the policies and practices surrounding

multicultural student affairs, but it also needs to focus on the mentality towards these support

services. For example, Ferguson and Thomas-Rashid (2011) put forth the argument of

“Diversity Education as Everyone’s Job,” in which they affirmed that the “burden” of creating a

diverse and equitable environment in settings of higher education unfairly and too often falls of

the shoulders of underrepresented communities themselves (p. 137). Instead, these authors

“asserted the adage that ‘it takes a village’ to do diversity education and to support and advance
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 18

underrepresented students” (p. 137). This specific change in mentality requires a conscious

change on college campuses that it is not just underrepresented communities who are responsible

for creating an equitable atmosphere, but rather, it needs to be a collective issue taken on by the

larger campus. Kezar’s (2010) article, “Faculty and Staff Partnering with Student Activists:

Unexplored Terrains of Interaction and Development,” speak to this very point by

acknowledging the power behind such collaboration, namely the “everyday, common, and

humble ways that these groups work to create change on an ongoing basis that is often missed in

literature that focuses on dramatic and radical events of student activism” (p. 475-6). Here,

Kezar (2010) puts forth the argument that the type of partnerships and activities that sustain

campus change often occur in the daily happenings/occurrences, and thus do not always require

extreme movements or tactics.

Taking this idea one step further, it is worth proposing that by advocating for a change in

mentality surrounding multicultural student services, the inherent value of these services could

also see positive practical changes, not only from students and staff but also from higher

administration officials. In other words, if this change in attitude did reflect a shift towards a

communal responsibility for creating a more equal and supportive environment, there could

possibly be residual benefits, such as increased funding streams for multicultural student services

or better equipped resource centers aimed to improve the college experiences of

underrepresented communities on campus. Because philosophies or mentalities surrounding a

topic can significantly sway policies and practices regarding that topic, it makes sense here to

push for growth in both mind and everyday practice.

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Best Practices

As it relates to best practices regarding multicultural student services, and multicultural

resource centers specifically, the ACPA and NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student

Affairs Practitioners (2010) directly outline strategies for achieving effective and competent

multicultural services in settings of higher education. This particular guide addresses the

competency areas of 1. Advising and Helping, 2. Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, 3.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, 4. Ethical Professional Practice, 5. History, Philosophy, and

Values, 6. Human and Organizational Resources, 7. Law, Policy, and Governance, 8.

Leadership, 9. Personal Foundations and 10. Student Learning and Development, all of which

are delineated among a basic, intermediate and advance level of competency. Looking to this

document for guidance, institutions of higher education can structure their own offices and

support services via the recommendations set forth by ACPA and NASPA, though recognizing

that each setting will require nuanced adaptations of these competencies per each setting’s

specific structure/institution type/student body/etc. By creating consistent competencies in

multicultural student affairs, the field as a whole can begin to improve and strengthen these

services on campus, which may increase\the possibility of encouraging more research from

practitioners in the field.

Conclusion

The argument that I put forth as a result of this functional area study is that multicultural

student services are most effective when they are coupled with the existence of a physical space

dedicated to those underrepresented students, as the physicality of space creates the type of

support needed for these students to be successful in: feeling safe on campus, receiving

necessary residential support and being supported in the development of their own personal
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 20

identities. I believe this argument holds true in most settings of higher education, whether public

versus private, large versus small, or community versus four-year. Additionally, not only does

this type of program structure regarding multicultural student services aim to support the

students themselves, but it also serves a dual purpose in supporting the staff and faculty affiliated

with these support services who also participate in campus life at large.

While I recognize that much of the literature referenced in this functional area study

focuses on four-year settings, and that the term multicultural student services/multicultural

resource centers can look very different from setting to setting, I believe the main tenants of this

paper, which address multicultural competency, spaces and funding/resources, are transferable

and adaptable to many different settings within institutions of higher education. With that being

said, I would like to conclude this functional area study by affirming that my own personal and

professional understanding of multicultural student services has been enriched, challenged and

encouraged. As an aspiring leader in this field, I am hopeful of the changes to come but feel

confident in confronting the challenges we as a profession will face along the way.
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 21

References

American College Personnel Association (ACPA) & National Association of Student Personnel

Administration (NAPSA). (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs

practitioners. Retrieved from

https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/offices/vpsa/pdf/Professional%20Competency.pdf

Brewslawksi, P. (2013). Strategic Planning When Aligning Curriculum and Resources. In P.J.

Schloss & K.M. Cragg (Eds)., Organization and administration in higher education

(148-176). New York: Routledge.

Council for the Advancement of Standard in Higher Education (CAS). (2009). CAS

Self-Assessment Guide for Multicultural Student Programs and Services. Washington,

D.C.: CAS.

Chang, M.J., Milem, J.F., & antonio, a.l. (2011). Chapter Three: Campus Climate and

Diversity. In J.H. Schuh, S.R. Jones, S.R. Harper & Associates (Eds)., Student services: A

handbook for the profession (43-58). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Ferguson, K.M. & Thomas-Rashid, T.L. (2011). Multicultural Student Services at Private,

Liberal Arts Colleges. In D.L. Stewart (Ed)., Multicultural Student Services on Campus:

Building Bridges, Re-visioning Community (29-37). Virginia: Stylus.

Griffin, K.A. & Hurtado, S. (2011). Chapter Two: Institutional Variety in American Higher

Education. In J.H. Schuh, S.R. Jones, S.R. Harper & Associates (Eds)., Student services:

A handbook for the profession (24-42). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Kezar, A. (2010). Faculty and staff partnering with student activists: Unexplored terrains of

interaction and development. In Journal of College Student Development, 51(5), 451-480.

Northeastern Illinois University. (2014). Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural
FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 22

Affairs: About us. Retrieved from http://www.neiu.edu/university-life/pedroso-

center/about-us

Pope, R.L. & Mueller, J.A. (2011). Chapter Nineteen: Multicultural Competence. In

J.H. Schuh, S.R. Jones, S.R. Harper & Associates (Eds)., Student services: A handbook

for the profession (337-352). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Renn, K.A. & Patton, L.D. (2011). Chapter Thirteen: Campus Ecology and Environments. In

J.H. Schuh, S.R. Jones, S.R. Harper & Associates (Eds)., Student services: A handbook

for the profession (242-256). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Shuford, B.C. (2011). Historical and Philosophical Development of Multicultural Student

Services. In D.L. Stewart (Ed). Multicultural Student Services on Campus: Building

Bridges, Re-visioning Community (29-37). Virginia: Stylus.

Stewart, D.L. & Bridges, B.K. A Demographic Profile of Multicultural Student Services. In

D.L. Stewart (Ed). Multicultural Student Services on Campus: Building Bridges,

Re-visioning Community (38-60). Virginia: Stylus.

Strange, C.C. & Banning, J.H. (2001). Educating by design: Creating campus learning

environments that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

FUNCTIONAL AREA STUDY 23

Appendix

Interview Questions for Juan Guardia

1. Describe how you learned about the field of higher education and why interested you?

2. Talk about your educational journey/trajectory. How did you decide on where you would

attend?

3. How did you get involved with fraternity life?

4. Talk about your professional experience and journey to NEIU. What attracted you to

NEIU?

5. Describe NEIU’s environment and what it means to have the acknowledgement as a

Hispanic Serving Institution?

6. How would you describe the Angelina Pedroso Center and how it functions in NEIU?

7. How do students access this space and what does every day student traffic look like?

8. How often do you interact with students?

9. How do staff dynamics work? Talk about your expectations and their expectations of

you.

10. Where does your budget come from and how is it used?

11. What are issues you have faced and how have you addressed them?

12. What are issues you have seen in general about MSS?

13. What are the next steps in your career?