W hen Michael Eatman, Director of the Office of Intercultural Relations (OIR), began working in 2006, he was excited. And with good reason. Since his placement, Eatman and Student Development have been working hard to develop a solid intercultural program. They have changed the name from multicultural to intercultural in order to, according to Eatman, “reach out to all students and look at how the body of Christ needs to understand their identity.”
Eight students form the Intercultural Learning Initiative, a leadership program established by the Office of Intercultural Relations. Top row, from left: Michael Eatman, Alli Grimes, Elizabeth Lahrman, Meghan Anderson, Faith Gunderson, and Sydney Williams. Front row, from left: Laura Kay Turcott, Levi Norris, and Kendra Dixie. Photo credit: Crystal Wood.
The OIR is a mysterious organization to many people. Located in the back of the Student Development Office, the main feature of the Office of Intercultural Relations is the lack of a desk. Despite there being no desk, during office hours there are constantly students working for Eatman in the office.
The official purpose of the OIR is: “OIR strives to depict a true account of history and create a 1 Corinthians 12 community by integrating the concept of uniting hands, mending hearts, and challenging minds through: Student Led Groups, Community Forums, Campus Activities, Classes, Exploring racial reconciliation with Christ as the perspective.”
To put into perspective, there are a number of different groups the OIR is in charge of. Omega Phi Alpha (OPA) is a brotherhood that has been around for several years, focusing on strengthening one another.
Then there is the Anointed Manifestation of Praise (AMP), a miming group. More recently, La Jahil has been added, a group led by senior Brian Roth that works to eliminate stereotypes about people in the Middle East. I.C.A.R.E. is led by Justin Sadler, is based around community service and works closely with Interfaith, a shelter located in Jackson.
There is also the International Student Union (ISU), led by Moses Law, serving international students. The Intercultural Learning Initiative, a program designed to help students integrate and learn from one another cross-culturally, is also one of the current programs.
This fall semester introduces several new groups with the OIR. First, there is the Gospel Choir, led by Sophomore Kwame Plato.
ALBANIE, another new group, began last year. Originally it was named ALANI, or Asian Latino African Native American International, the name has since been changed. As intercultural includes all cultures, the name has since been changed to ALBANIE, or Asian Latino Bi-racial African Native American International European. There are a total of 12 students in ALBANIE, representing each of the ethnic backgrounds here on campus (besides Native American).
There is also the ALBANIE Student Alliance (ASA) Advocates, a group of students integrated throughout campus. To become an ASA Advocate, one must complete nine hours of in-service training focused on cross-cultural leadership. There are currently a total of 20 students on campus that have completed the training, but Eatman hopes to increase this number. His goal is to eventually have 38 ASA Advocates, one for each housing complex on campus. The goal is for every Residence Hall to have an ASA Advocate present in the same way there are SLA’s and RA’s for each floor.
Finally, there is the Black Male Coalition (BMC) starting up this semester, led by freshman Julius Buzzard. BMC is a mentoring program geared towards male African American students.
“You don’t have to be a person of color to do this work, you have to be a person of compassion,” said Eatman of ASA Advocates.
Eatman is optimistic and excited about what’s happening with the OIR. “If we can reach out to all students and look at how the body of Christ needs to understand their identity,” Eatman said, “It can help us grow better.”
