On Friday, November 19, 2010, The University of Iowa Office of Admissions teamed up with the UI Center for Diversity & Enrichment to host the Multicultural Visit Day at the Iowa Memorial Union. The Multicultural Visit Day is similar to the Hawkeye Visit Day with all day events like campus tours, Exploring Majors Fair and departmental visits; however the day is specific to multicultural and first generation prospective students. Students from across the state of Iowa, and several schools from the Chicago area traveled to our campus to get a first-hand experience of college life. Anthony Pulliam, one of our student employees at the Office of Admissions, commented on the benefits of having a Multicultural Visit Day: “It is an opportunity to focus solely on students of color, and offer an admissions visit with interactions from our current students who share similar backgrounds. It’s neat to be able to see multicultural students at Iowa participate in the day’s events.” Some of the many multicultural organizations that Anthony referenced include our Greek Life organizations and cultural centers.
Represented at the Multicultural Visit Day Exploring Majors and Student Life fair were representatives from the fraternities and sororities through the National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters, which are historically composed of African-American descent, and our Multicultural Greek Council chapters, which are historically composed of Latino/a descent. At this time, The National Pan-Hellenic Council supports 6 chapters on campus, while the Multicultural Greek Council supports 3 chapters. Greek Life for both of these councils is steadily growing, and with this increase in popularity, The University of Iowa will continue to welcome new chapters to campus in the years to come.
Additionally represented at the fair were the cultural centers, which are significant for providing specific resources, support and other activities to any student on campus. The University of Iowa currently houses the Afro American cultural center, Asian Pacific American cultural center, Latino Native American and the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender resource center. Each cultural center occupies their own house on campus, making it easy for students to come and hang out in their free time. The planned activities are designed to support the diversity programs here on campus, but also to enrich the knowledge and awareness of a multicultural lifestyle for all of the community.
The Office of Student Life was also represented at the fair and currently recognizes 63 student organizations on campus that contains a focus on diversity. Some of the most prominent student organizations include Black Student Union, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Union (GLBTAU) and the University of Iowa International Student Ambassadors.
The Multicultural Visit Day was also greeted with some ASIST help as Rosa Heredia from Chicago, made a special trip to campus to help out at the information fair. It was great to spend some time with Rosa and see her “ASIST” skills in action!
Overall, the Multicultural Visit Day was a great success and a great opportunity to expand the diversity of our student population.
