Oberlin may be viewed by the outside world as a progressive mecca at which students of every ethnic background, sexual orientation and income bracket can gather together in harmony, but staff members at the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) feel that the diversity of the College presents many of the same challenges a multicultural resource office at any university would face, and then some.
"There will always be a different perception of Oberlin for those outside and inside the College," Assistant Dean of Student Life and Services Julia Nieves said. "Honestly, Oberlin's not that different from other universities. Oberlin's not perfect, it's not a utopia, and part of the frustration comes when we hold it up as such. We forget we're part of a larger social context."
"I think the majority of Oberlin students keep this place progressive and make the reputation of the school what it is, but I think everybody's on a different level here. . . we do our best to let everyone out there know what the MRC does," Asian American Community Coordinator Michelle Shim, OC '97, said. "What makes it difficult at Oberlin is that so many people are on different levels that they don't see eye to eye and it's hard to see what the focus should be at this point."
Staff members of the recently-revamped MRC include Associate Dean of Student Life and Services Ken Holmes and Assistant Deans Nieves and Shilpa Davé, as well as four community coordinators who work specifically with Africana, Latino, Asian American and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) students.
"The four community coordinators in the MRC are sort of student advocates that let administrators know what students need, what issues they're dealing with, what assistance they would like," Latino Community Coordinator Adrian Bautista said.
MRC workers believe they are providing a strong and stable support system for the diverse communities within the College, encouraging students to embrace their individual heritage while getting to know people in other communities.
"Through our programming we try to bring the different communities of Oberlin together, just to let each other know about different activities going on and to have some face time so people get to know who they can talk to if they need to find a liaison for a specific group," Shim said.
Other goals cited by MRC staff members include providing funds for students to attend or organize conferences or other activities, hosting a bi-weekly film series and creating an office at which students can gather for conversation, support or just plain relaxation.
"We're not experts on multiculturalism either. We're all still educating ourselves and each other on these issues. It's an incredible learning process," Shim said.
Nieves, who trained in graduate school as a sociologist, added that, "We at Oberlin can work through a multicultural journey. It's not always easy. Multiculturalism is a celebration but also an argument. It's about learning to trust each other and caring enough to get through the argument and get to know someone as a person rather than just learning superficially about their culture."
Formerly known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), the MRC was revamped in the Fall of 1995 by former Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk.
Cole-Newkirk increased the administrative support system of MRC, expanding it to include Holmes, Nieves and Davé. She clarified the positions of the four community coordinators and convinced the College to increase its funding to the MRC. Cole-Newkirk also facilitated the MRC's migration from Daub House to Stevenson and, as of last year, to its current home in Wilder Student Union.
"I have to give Charlene some credit because the MRC is part of the legacy she'll leave behind. If you can leave and something is still going strong, you know you were successful," Nieves said.
Currently in its second year of structured operation, the MRC now works directly with about one-third of Oberlin's student body, according to Bautista's estimates. According to Bautista, the four groups with whom community coordinators work comprise at least that much of the campus population.
While certain groups are specifically targeted for support by the MRC because they are underrepresented, according to Shim, the MRC is open to everybody regardless of background.
"The MRC is for everybody because we are a multicultural resource center," Davé said. "We want to support everyone across the board in whatever projects they're doing."
Some students, however, are unfamiliar with the MRC.
"I honestly don't know what it [the MRC] is," sophomore Andrew Bayer said.
Students who have been involved with MRC report primarily positive experiences. "I think the MRC has come a long way. I'm really proud of the MRC for getting it together. I don't think the College gives enough credit for how much more the MRC could be doing and how many more doors it could open. The MRC is a good tool for the College in terms of bringing a larger number of diverse communities together than just those four specific communities," junior Raquel Olivo, a former co-chair of La Alianza, said.
"I've worked with the MRC since my first year here," senior Andrea Clark, co-chair of Abusua, said. "When I first got here I didn't feel like the College dealt with the MRC at all, but since then I've definitely seen a shift in support. The community coordinators and their level of communication is just great. The office makes you feel very welcome. And in terms of outreach, it's really improved."
"The MRC is working very well for me right now. As far as I'm concerned, for black students it's working really well. The focus for this year is really good and really strong and positive. I go up there and visit all the time. It's a very friendly place," junior Melody Waller, a member of the Nia Poetic subcommittee of Abusua, said.
"I think the administration needs to give a whole lot more support to things that matter-including the people of color community, which includes the MRC," Waller said. "High-level administrators like to say they support these issues, and maybe they do in theory but not in practice."
"Other departments and offices should take more of a role in educating themselves and others about these issues; that's a forever ongoing process, but multiculturalism is everywhere, not just in one office," Shim said.
While the MRC is an important support system for teaching students about the importance of "Keepin' It Real," as its slogan reads, it is also a means of helping Oberlin students learn about their own uniqueness in ways above and beyond ethnicity, income and sexual orientation, according to Davé.
"I've found students at Oberlin to be the most innovative and creative students I've ever worked with. If certain issues or courses aren't available, students find people to help them educate themselves and bring them here. It's the mark of an Oberlin student to do that, and MRC tries to lift part of the burden off students to help them get those speakers. It also helps to be in a place like Oberlin, where anything is possible," Davé said.
"Keepin' it Real: Carmen Mitchell, Michelle Shim, and Kara Wick, community coordinators at the MRC, share a laugh at the MRC office. In the retention study of African-American students, 28% of respondents said they had used the MRC. (photo by Heidi Johansen)
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 8, November 7, 1997
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