The goal of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, ensure that no student is discriminated against through their program called “The Multicultural Connections Certification.”

The mission statement for the program according to Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason, Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is “[To] foster awareness and appreciation of diversity, and to build connections and communication within the Tarleton State University community through engaging participants in an active and self-reflective educational journey wherein they will become more familiar with different aspects of identity, will develop their communication skills, and will gain a greater understanding of themselves and their role in society.”

All this is possible thanks to Helvie- Mason and Emily Vankirk, Program Specialist for ODI, who, according to Helvie-Mason, helped “develop the program in response to feedback from members of the Tarleton community.”

According to Helvie-Mason, the program is focused on students, therefore, all events put on are facilitated by ODI staff members so that students can get the most from the events put on by the program.

The ODI has many events planned for the spring semester that will be a great opportunity for students to participate in the Multicultural Connections Program. The scheduled events include Ally trainings, Language and Power on Feb. 6 and March 21; Identity and Intersectionality on Feb. 15 and April 14; Discussing the Undiscussable on April 3 and February 28.

Other components of the Multicultural Connections Program are offered solely by request, including Diversity Classroom Training sessions like Power and Privilege and Homebase Culture.

“Greater acceptance of diverse people, cultures and lifestyle will certainly help students connect with a variety of people.” Helvie-Mason said.

“Being in college or at a higher education institution is an experience where students are exposed to people from all walks of life,” Mason says. “Being exposed to such diversity helps students grow and become more understanding about the world around them and the people in it.”

More information about the Multicultural Connections program and scheduled sessions, session descriptions, registration and request forms can be found on tarleton.edu/diversity or by emailing [email protected].