This process in Eastern Nazarene College’s case is guided by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. ENC established formal teach-out partnerships with five schools along with a secondary list of approximately 30 more schools that were offering help…
Multicultural Affairs
Multiculturalism is integral to who we are at Eastern Nazarene College. The campus is a vibrant community of diverse cultures that enriches the Christian values of the college.
The campus is a vibrant community of diverse cultures that enriches the Christian values of the college. Diversity is central to everything we do at Eastern Nazarene College, both in and out of the classroom, allowing us to produce a high caliber of graduates who represent every race, culture, and ethnicity. Eastern Nazarene College uniquely prepares students to become leaders in a global society.
Mission
Eastern Nazarene College seeks to promote, create, and sustain a community that recognizes and respects the presence of diverse groups, acknowledging and valuing their socio-cultural differences, and will seek to encourage and enable their contributions which empower all. The Office for Multicultural Affairs is dedicated to assisting students in all areas as they transition to the college. Our mission is to design programs that inform, explore, and challenge the Eastern Nazarene College community around multicultural issues. It is also to affirm the biblical vision of the Kingdom of God, in which people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” are gathered, purchased by Christ’s sacrifice (Revelation 5:9).
Contact Us
The Office for Multicultural Affairs is located in the Mann Student Center
Eastern Nazarene College
23 East Elm Ave
Quincy, MA 02170
617.745.3595
Robert Benjamin
Vice President of Multicultural Affairs
617-745-3595
Robert.Benjamin@enc.edu
Multicultural Affairs Calendar of Events
Signature Events
Welcome Back Reception
An annual gathering for students during their first few weeks back to campus-this event welcomes students of color to the new academic year. Specifically, new students have an opportunity to meet returners, faculty and staff. Multicultural Affairs plans for the year are also outlined. Most of all, however, the reception is a time to fellowship and celebrate the gift of the ENC community.
Film Festivals
The series headlines award-winning narrative features and documentaries from around the world. Our film series explores issues that are geopolitical, transnational, generational, artistic, cultural and historical—offering a wealth of visual pleasure for every taste. The purpose of the Film Festival is to inspire, educate, encourage and enlighten our community through film.
MLK Jr. Chapel & Celebration
Celebrated annually in January, this chapel seeks to explore the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as it applies in today’s context. Martin Luther King Jr., a clergyman, was a leader of a great social movement for equality for African Americans — a nonviolent struggle against segregation to make the promise of the Declaration of Independence a reality. Dr. King also fought for human rights, freedom and self-determination for all people.
Keynote speakers are nationally recognized leaders in Christian human service. Follow up discussions, meetings challenge the campus on the yearly themes.
New Beginnings
New Beginnings is a celebration during the graduation season designed to recognize, validate and value the unique experiences and contributions of graduating students of color during their time at Eastern Nazarene College. Simultaneously, New Beginnings seeks to do the same for ENC alumni of color.
We celebrate the individual and group accomplishments of our graduates with a sense of its historical significance. New Beginnings challenges our graduates to reflect on what it took for them to graduate. In addition to the challenges of studying, bills, social interactions, etc, New Beginnings asks graduates to reflect on the sacrifices of their parents, fore parents, family and community.
For our alumni, New Beginnings celebrates their accomplishments, their contributions to ENC which, without our current graduates knowing it, without current students of color having a sense of it, empowers us all in the present. We also encourage alumni to become more involved in deliberate efforts to support current students.
Graduates are adorned with stoles (sashes) that symbolize the goals mentioned above. There are three components of the stole:
- Red and White – colors of Eastern Nazarene College
- Ethnic Tip – patterns that represent the region of the world of the student’s ancestors
- Seal of Eastern Nazarene College – We are Eastern Nazarene College
Graduating students are asked to invite those who were significant to their success here at ENC faculty, staff and/or friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Office for Multicultural Affairs located?
The Office for Multicultural Affairs is located on the first floor of the Mann Student Center in the Student Life Office.
What are the office hours?
Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the academic year.
What does ALANA mean?
ALANA stands for African-America, Latino, Asian/Asian American, Native American and multiracial.
Is the Office for Multicultural Affairs only for ALANA students?
Our office is open to all! Please feel free to stop in with any questions or especially just to say “Hello!” We like that.
Do you have to make an appointment to see someone?
In most cases, you are encouraged to just come on in. However, if the nature of your visit will require a good deal of time (more than ten minutes) or if you want to speak with someone in particular, you should make an appointment. You can do so by calling the office or stopping by the front desk.
Multicultural Education Programs
Cultural Programs
We host specific events that provide awareness and recognition of multicultural issues, and celebrate individual cultural groups. Throughout the year, the Office for Multicultural Affairs organizes social events that are of special interest to students of color. See the calendar for up to date listing of events.
Multicultural Affairs Student Spotlights
Multicultural Affairs Committee
The Multicultural Affairs Committee (MAC) is an Advocacy Committee reporting directly to the Provost and CEO, Dr. Timothy Wooster. The goal of MAC is to embed multiculturalism into the fabric of Eastern Nazarene College so as to no longer need the advocacy work of the committee. The committee is made up of faculty, staff and students.
The MAC Charge:
1. To develop and maintain a thriving Multicultural community.
2. To promote Multicultural activities among all segments of the college community.
3. To promote, monitor, and evaluate college efforts in the areas of recruitment and retention of ethnic minority faculty, students and staff.
4. To promote, monitor, and evaluate curriculum and curricular change to ensure that students are prepared to interact effectively with people from cultures other than their own.
5. To develop and promote strategies for improving Multicultural leadership in the broader Christian community.
6. To monitor college policies or practices which may have negative effects on ethnic minority persons.
Intercultural Center Mini Grants
The Intercultural Center is proud to announce the availability of limited funds to support Multicultural activities and programs. The purpose of the mini-grants is to assist Eastern Nazarene College in fulfilling our stated value of developing Multicultural Understanding, creating a context that welcomes and embraces various cultural backgrounds to promote cultural understanding and acceptance.
The mini-grants will endeavor to help develop an educational community that allows members of our community to:
- Experience multiple, meaningful contact-points where they have been guided to appreciate ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.
- View the world from the perspective of diverse groups including an exposure to levels of adversity faced by various groups.
- Be exposed to the major religious belief systems around the world.
- Experience a safe campus environment for themselves and other cultures in which all experience a sense of belonging.
If you are interested in applying for a mini-grant, please complete the application here. For further questions, please contact robert.benjamin@enc.edu.
Our Covenant
- God, you have extended the cup of yourself, rich with your sacrifice, made vivid to us in the face of your crucified Son.
- You offer your love without condition, your healing without prejudice, your forgiveness without bias.
- We confess that our lives and our community have often failed to reflect your generosity, your openness, and your love.
- We denounce racism, sexism, classism and any prejudice that causes us to generalize and stereotype people inside and outside this community.
- We gratefully seize the grace you offer that enables us to be open to one another just as you are open to us.
- We commit to engage in honest relationships where we will listen and be heard, validate and be validated, value and be valued.
- By your grace may we leave no stone of prejudice unturned, no generalization intact, no stereotype unchallenged.
- We thank you for loving us for who we are, and covenant together to love another as you have first loved us.
Scholarships and Resources
African American/ Black Student Scholarships
http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/scholarships-for-black-women/
http://www.naacp.org/pages/awards
Hispanic/Latina/o Student Scholarships
Asian/Pacific Islander Student Scholarships
www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/asian.htm
Native American Students Scholarships
https://finaid.org/otheraid/natamind/
https://www.ncaied.org/awards-scholarships/