The Office of Intercultural Affairs is committed to building a welcoming university that supports diversity, equality and inclusion.
In the mid-1980s, when Dr. Betty Jane Cleckley first created an office to serve the multicultural environment at Marshall, it was known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs. In 2013, when Maurice Cooley became its associate vice president, the office title was changed to Intercultural Affairs. Cooley notes that it’s an important distinction.
“It’s a different philosophy and a stronger commitment to the work necessary for people from all over the globe who are trying to live and embrace one another,” Cooley explained. “Instead of simply making people aware of the multiplicity of cultures on campus, we want to find ways to encourage students to grow and learn from each other. Programs with that focus make it easier to embrace those who are different.”
His first move was to make his office staff multiethnic. Traditionally, it was staffed by all African Americans. By moving two of his eight graduate student staffers to the Center for African American Students, which is one of four offices he supervises, he was able to bring in students from China, Ukraine, Russia and India.
Another one of his responsibilities is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Initiative through which Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) grants are awarded to a consortium of universities working to support minority undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors. Marshall’s 10-year membership has allowed students to do research at other institutions in the group. An extension of this program, called Bridge to the Doctorate, allows students the opportunity to earn their doctoral degrees at no cost at universities around the country.
An initiative Cooley began in 2015 is the World Council. He wanted to create learning and social experiences that would have a significant impact on the participants. He turned to some of the international students who began to set up events to encourage representatives from many countries to socialize in order to get to know one another better. One event, called Campus Tea and Talk, acted a bit like speed dating, except each table had 20 minutes before switching tables. With each rotation, students enjoyed teas and hors d’oeuvres from around the world while getting to know those at their table.
In the spring, World Fusion Day, another World Council event, gathers people from various ethnicities or religions to enjoy foods and dancing from all over the world.
“Students from the university’s clubs, organizations, athletic teams, Greek sororities and fraternities, and faculty unite to celebrate their own organizations before they walk together as a giant parade,” Cooley said. “Last year over 1,000 members of the Marshall Family participated in the parade and picnic that followed.”
The Society of Black Scholars, developed in 2003 when Cooley first came to Marshall, is a highly competitive honors program for incoming black freshmen with extremely high GPAs and ACT scores. An advisory council of students interviews and selects those accepted. Cooley said 12 new members were inducted this fall. The society requires students to maintain a high GPA, to attend certain programs geared to expose them to things relevant to their field of study and participate in academic advising.
The third office Cooley supervises serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transitioning, questioning and others (LGBTQ+) community. Headed by one of his four full-time employees, Shaunte Polk, it is located on the lower level of the Memorial Student Center. Polk, a Marshall graduate herself, oversees a number of initiatives and programs, some of which she created.
“One example is the Trans Closet, which is a place where students who are transitioning gender can select clothing, jewelry, shoes or makeup in a safe space that allows them to shop away from potential derision,” Polk explained. “We also have a lending library of books on subjects within the LGBTQ+ community that are free and available in the LGBTQ+ office.”
Support for LGBTQ+ students is an important element of the office. Polk has established three such groups. The first is called Queer to Slay — a term made popular by singer Beyoncé that means being queer and fabulous. It is a student-led group that meets to talk about issues that concern them. Out of that group, one for trans students was born. Called Trans-lation, it deals specifically with discussions on trans issues. A third group, Slaying Grace, is for students who are no longer welcome at their home churches or have lost their faith because of discrimination. Led by the Reverend Chris Bailey, it meets at the Campus Christian Center to provide an accepting church home on campus.
Celebrations are also important, Polk believes. While the university has held a Donning of the Kente Service for African-American students for a number of years, she realized there was no equivalent graduation for LGBTQ+ students. So, she created Lavender Graduation. Last year, 14 students wore lavender stoles and cords as they crossed a stage at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, beautifully decorated in lavender by Jamez Morris-Smith.
Several other events are held in October, which is LGBTQ+ History Month. On National Coming Out Day, Polk asks the students to support coming out students with words of affirmation posted on a fake closet door on the student center plaza. On Spirit Day students take a pledge to stand up against bullying and to wear purple to draw attention to that issue. Asexual Awareness Week and Intersexual Awareness Day bring awareness to these two specialties within the LGBTQ+ communities. And the Pride Gala, held during Homecoming, is planned to be a reunion of LGBTQ+ alumni and a fundraiser for an LGBTQ+ scholarship.
Not ones to rest on their laurels, both Polk and Cooley have plans for the future growth in the Office of Intercultural Affairs. Polk wants to add more speakers to her support group meetings and to several events. Cooley says while over 2,000 students regularly take advantage of some program he oversees, he’d like it to be more. And he’d like a larger staff to manage the growth. Regardless of the reach of his office, Cooley is happy when people come together and find they have much in common.
“That leads to integrated thinking and an appreciation of other people,” Cooley says. “If 2,000 of Marshall’s 14,000 students can achieve this, the university is well on the way to becoming a diversely integrated institution.”
The Office of Intercultural Affairs also has the unwavering support of the university’s president.
“My personal commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion runs strong and deep. It is important for an educational institution to convey to its constituents the values that we would hope all would embrace,” President Gilbert stated. “By affirming our strong stance in support of diversity, equality and inclusion, we are seeking to create a rich learning environment. My goal is for Marshall University to be a place free from all forms of discrimination, a place where all people feel welcome and all opinions are respected.”
Carter Taylor Seaton is a freelance writer living in Huntington. She is the author of two novels and the nonfiction book, Hippie Homesteaders. She received the 2014 Literary Merit Award from the West Virginia Library Association, the Marshall University College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumna Award in 2015 and the Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts in 2016. Her biography of Ken Hechler, The Rebel in the Red Jeep, was published in May 2017.
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Cooley joined the staff of Marshall University in 2003. His current role in the Office of Intercultural Affairs allows him to interact with and guide students from a variety of backgrounds.
World Fusion Day began in 2016 and features music, food, art and activities from cultures around the world.
Whether it’s at an organized event or casually on campus, Cooley said he is happy when people come together and find they have much in common.
Gretel Toloza Albarez is a junior from Cuba who is studying chemistry and Spanish. She currently serves as a work study student in the Office of Intercultural Affairs and is the president of the Intercultural Hispanic Student Organization.