Grand Valley’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Senate hosted their inaugural Multicultural Night on March 20.
A collaboration between the two groups, the night was inspired by Campus Life Night, which takes place in the fall and winter semesters and allows students to interact with student organizations and university departments. Multicultural night was intended to be a smaller version of the event, with a focus on culturally focused groups.
Joshua Eapen, a first-year student, thought of the idea for the event after attending a National Society for Minorities in Honors conference with Roger Gilles, director of Grand Valley’s Frederik Meijer Honors College. There, he heard a statistic that resonated with him: If a first-time honors college student finds a community to be a part of within the first two weeks, they are upward of 86% more likely to graduate with a degree and go on to higher-level education or higher-achieving career trajectories.
“That initial sense of connection helps students get over one of the biggest fears they often have about college: that they’re going to be by themselves, alone in their room, not connecting with anybody,” Eapen said.
Anna Miller, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, echoes Eapen’s sentiment. “It can be intimidating to find community as an incoming freshman,” she said. “Tabling events like this are perfect. It makes organizations more accessible to students.”
As a first-year student himself, Eapen said it’s his hope that all students are able to find a sense of belonging and community on campus.
“Being different isn’t something that I see as a weakness, but rather as a strength,” he said. “We're not really that different when it comes down to it. We are all Lakers. We are all part of this really diverse, vibrant, exciting community.”
Other upcoming events can be found on the Office of Multicultural Affairs website.
Sign up and receive the latest Grand Valley headlines delivered to your email inbox each morning.
