The evolution of underrepresented minority groups
at Lehigh University
Miranda Reyes
Jenny Shang
Camille Hardy
Office of Multicultural
Affairs
Office of Multicultural
Affairs
• The Office of Multicultural Affairs is an office
on campus that is dedicated to expressing
multiculturalism on campus and believes that
multiculturalism is about accepting,
recognizing, and celebrating the differences
within campus and the surrounding
communities.
• I interviewed the Director of the Office- Mr.
Tyrone Russell-tyr208@lehigh.edu
Objectives of the OMA Office
• “To serve as an advocate, resource, and
vehicle of support for diverse students and
their families in and outside of Lehigh.”
• “To build an active partnership with fellow
colleges, offices and organizations at Lehigh
University in an effort to enhance an inclusive,
outreaching, and growing multicultural
environment.”
Objectives
• “To challenge members of the Lehigh community to
explore their own culture and the culture of others in
the campus community in an effort to enhance
greater multiculturalism, awareness, and promote
dialogue exchange.”
• “To respond thoughtfully, intellectually,
appropriately, and competently to the needs of
fellow Lehigh students, their families, faculty, staff,
and alumni concerning multicultural affairs.”
• “To support and encourage students to explore their
multiple identities.”
Mission of OMA Office
• The OMA office believes in offering a place for
students to explore their multicultural identity as
well as explore other people’s experiences and
backgrounds.
• “Diversity inclusion is very, very, very, very, important
which promotes the best out of everyone”- Mr.
Tyrone Russell
• Mr. Russell also told me that,” We advocate for
underrepresented minorities on campus and their
existence on campus.”
Programs
• The OMA office offers a range of programs and
discussions to promote multiculturalism like:
• Real World LU Prelusion Program
• The Brown Lunch Bag Discussion Series
• Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week
• House of Privilege
• “We try to push forth programs and opportunities
that keep us connected with underrepresented
minorities”- Mr. Tyrone Russell
Programs
• The Office of Multicultural Affairs also offers
programs both within and outside of the Lehigh
campus such as:
• South Bethlehem Leadership Development Programs
• Mentoring Programs and collaborations with Lehigh
faculty and staff.
• “We also work with faculty whose departments focus
on diversity inclusion like the Africana studies
Department, Spanish Department, and Asian studies
Department”- Mr. Tyrone Russell
Multicultural Center
• The Office of Multicultural Affairs also offers a
safe space for students known as the “MRoom” which is located on the second floor of
the University Center for students to do work
and relax with friends in a thriving
environment.
Student Based Organizations
• The OMA office has many student based
organizations whose jobs are to take an active
role in the Lehigh community and in the
education around multiculturalism, equity,
and social justice issues.
• Some Programs include:
• Black Student Union
• OMA Ambassador Program
• OMA Street Team
Working with others
• The OMA office also works with other offices
to achieve their goal of multiculturalism on
campus like:
• Career Services Office
• First Year Experience Office
• LGBTQA Programs and Services
• Student Activities
• The Women’s Center
For The Future
• According to Mr. Russell, he believes that as
time goes on the Office of Multicultural Affairs
is not only going to expand but along with that
expansion so will the amount of diversity here
on the Lehigh campus will increase as well.
• “We advocate for underrepresented
minorities and their existence on campus.
Enrollment of Latinos
Timeline
• 1963-1970 fifty Latin Americans admitted
• 1979-1980 An International Center opens to
serve foreign students.
• 2009 Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino fraternity
• 2010 Latino Student Alliance(LSA) is a studentrun club that has been founded
History of Diversity
• 1950-1963
• Scholarships were only given for merit not for
financial need.
• Minorities couldn’t afford to go to college.
• Whitaker took the prevailing line of argument in
basing the concern for scholarships on merit
alone. He wrote, "The real justification, the basic
reason for such awards, is not to improve the
financial status or advancement of an individual
so much as to contribute to mankind at large the
service of a better trained individual.
History of Diversity Cont.
• 1963-1970s
• The vast majority of undergraduates came
from
– homes located within 150 miles of Bethlehem. In
most years more than 80 percent were from
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
– Very few of the undergraduates came from foreign
countries.
– May 1976 women and seventy men and women
from minority groups
Diversity Now
• 8.0% Hispanic/Latino
• Latino Student Alliance(LSA) a student-run
club
• Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino fraternity
• Lehigh University Black and Latino Alumni
Network for Community and Equity
(BALANCE)
• South American and Latino Student Alliance
(SALSA)
Ways Lehigh encourages Diversity
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Diversity Achievers Program
Diversity Life Weekend
Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
Latin American Studies
Umoja house
Interview
• “Students Living in the Uhouse seek culture
diversity”
• “There is no cultural barriers at the Uhouse”
• “Class of 2016 is more diverse”
• “There are settle discriminations within the
campus”
• “Some cultures are promoted above other for
example Black or Hispanic culture”
Enrollment of Women
Enrollment of Women
Timeline
• 1918 women are admitted as graduate students
• 1937 Lehigh enrolls its first woman as an undergraduate
engineer due to a misunderstanding of names
• 1943 A female biochemist, Margaret Lams, is first to receive
a research scholarship at Lehigh
• 1971 Lehigh welcomes its first 169 female undergraduates
• 1974 Alpha Phi becomes the first women’s sorority on
campus.
• 1991 Lehigh University Women’s Center opens
• 2006 Lehigh appoints its first female president, Alice P. Gast
• 2011 Lehigh celebrate 40 years of coeducation.
Coeducation 1971
• Novelty of first women at Lehigh
Susan Ascher: “When I found out that Lehigh was looking for its first class of
women, I thought it would be an opportune time to go there and to
experience something very different than what a lot of my peers were doing.
Jane Jamieson : If you were the only woman sitting in a room of 30 men, you
clearly got a little more attention.
Pat Chase: Most of the professors were encouraging but some were cynical
and tested us for a few months to see if we had earned the right to be at this
university.
Problems faced:
Susan Ascher : They didn’t have enough bathrooms for women.
Lois Sunflower: I Knew where every women’s bathroom was on campus
because there were only about 4.
Jane Jamieson : There were no clubs, no intermurals, no sororities.
To see the full interviews : http://www.wiareport.com/2011/09/lehighuniversity-celebrates-40-years-of-coeducation/
Coeducation in 1990s
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Commission on Women, Undergraduate Student Survey (1990)
Student sample:
Male : 60.8%
Female : 39.2%
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I Relations between men and women
61% said that the ratio of female to male students on campus was too low.
44.8% said that the relations between men and women were close and harmonious but 43.8% said
they were friendly but not close.
31.5% said that there was a great deal of sexism.
35.4% agreed that women were treated with respect by male and 28.8% disagreed.
77.8% agreed that professors were equally encouraging male and female students.
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II Gender issues
97.5% agreed that physical assault was sexual harassment but 45.5% disagreed that suggestive
jokes, stories and humor was sexual harassment.
64.5% often experienced a pressure to avoid being seen supporting women’s issues.
62.1% of students weren’t aware of grievance procedures concerning racial/ sexual harassment.
93% hadn’t taken a course with primary focus on women but 57.3% might be interested in taking
such a course.
Overall, there was a general improvement from the early years as men became accustomed to
female presence and women played an increasing role at Lehigh. However, issues such as sexual
harassment, awareness and prevention still needed to be solved.
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Coeducation Today
Interview with Dr. Jones, director of Women’s center
Women’s Center was set up in 1991.
The staff includes about 20 students and 3 full-time staff members.
They are active in sexual violence prevention education with groups such
as Break the Silence, SATISFY, Feminist Alliance and support
undergraduate-led projects such as the Clothesline project, the Vagina
Monologues, Take Back the Night and encourage open discussions about
sexual and feminist issues.
• Dr. Jones : “Over the past few years that I’ve worked here, I’ve seen
-an increase in the number of people getting involved in the
women’s center,
-an increase in pride and advocacy for feminist issues,
-an increase in open dialogue about sex and prevention
-a stronger connection between the diverse groups at Lehigh
- An increase in community partnership programs to improve the
status of women not only at Lehigh but in the community and the
world as well.”
Plans for the Future
• The staff at the Women’s Center are conducting research to
question how social institutions like media, government,
and the workplace impact us based on our gender.
• The Women’s Center strives to build a strong, equitable
community for both men and women so don’t hesitate to
stop by!
• Lehigh University is one of seven 2010 recipients of an
ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant from the NSF
(National Science Foundation) to encourage women in
science and engineering. It will evaluate Lehigh’s climate
and policies, conduct social science research and make
recommendations to transform Lehigh over the next five
years.
Work cited
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Internet:
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http://www4.lehigh.edu/studentlife/equity/womens.aspx
http://advance.cc.lehigh.edu/
: http://www.wiareport.com/2011/09/lehigh-university-celebrates-40-years-of-coeducation/
http://www.lehigh.edu/~inmca/index.shtml
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Books:
Shonbeck, Heidi. Living in a Man's World: A Study of Tokenism and Female Entrance into Lehigh University. 2009. SC LPub
0261
Lehigh University, Commission on Minorities, Commission on Women. Final Report. (1990)
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Work cited
• Yates, W. Ross. Lehigh University : A History Of
Education In Engineering, Business, And The
Human Condition. n.p.: Lehigh University Press,
1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 28 Oct.
2012.
• Lehigh University." CollegeData. N.p., n.d. Web.
26 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college
/ college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=794>.
• Lehigh University. Lehigh University, n.d. Web. 26
Oct. 2012