While some incoming students worry about difficult classes and strict study schedules in college, cultural obstacles can be a major concern for others.
“Some of the unique challenges for underrepresented students is that a lot of times, they find themselves being the only one in a classroom or in a group setting, and they might have not ever experienced that before coming from the community they came from,” Ro-Anne Royer Engle, Multicultural Center director, said.
During the 2012-2013 school year, students that did not identify as white made up 11.9 percent of the undergraduate population and 8.1 percent of the graduate population, according to the university’s website.
One way to lessen diversity challenges from this cultural gap is through participation in one of the multicultural campus organizations.
Kirsten Davenport, Black Student Association president, said BSA helped her as a freshman.
“Even though I went to an all-white school growing up, Ball State provided that extra push of knowing where I came from, knowing my background and being able to fit in with others like me,” she said.
Still, addressing diversity is a challenge for Ball State, Engle said.
“I think with what people call PWIs [predominantly white institutions], or historically white institutions, anytime you’re bringing students from underrepresented populations, there is always that, ‘How do you create that environment where people feel comfortable being themselves?’” Engle said. “But also for others to learn about these other identities and cultures that they just might not be aware of.”
Students sometimes lack the understanding of why safe environments are important for the campus community, Engle said.
“Unless a person has really been a minority in a situation, you don’t really know how important psychological safety is,” she said. “It’s not that anyone is directly calling you names, but there’s a certain lack of psychological safety that you feel when you are the only, so it’s just about having others understand that.”
Aside from the resources, the Multicultural Center and the organizations aim to provide a place for underrepresented students to feel comfortable and get that psychological safety.
“It’s not even about providing stuff for black people, it’s about allowing them to feel comfortable on Ball State’s campus with so many people who aren’t like them,” Davenport said. “That’s what the Big Four are here for, to provide that diversity element and show them that, ‘Hey, it’s OK, there’s others like you.’ Join our organization and we’ll show you.”
The concept of a safe space can still sometimes be misunderstood, Davenport said.
“For those people that are like, ‘Why do we have a Black Student Association or a Latino Student Union, that’s racist, blah blah blah,’ you don’t know until you come,” she said. “If you come to BSA, you’ll know why we have one. It’s like home to some people and like a family.”
Still, the community aspect and resources of the Multicultural Center and the organization is not reserved just for students of color.
“The BSA is for anyone interested in learning things from an African-American perspective,” Davenport said. “We do cultural events, professional development events and social events, everything from an African-American perspective.”
Engle said it can be a challenge to have people understand that the center is to support underrepresented students.
“But a huge part of our role is to provide that cross-cultural learning and that it is a space for all students,” she said.
The lessons learned from multicultural exposure and awareness are values that will carry on beyond college, Engle said.
“We want students who come to Ball State from underrepresented populations to learn just as much because they’re going to go out there, and the rest of the world is going to look just like Ball State,” she said.
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