By Savannah Cooper | Staff Writer
Free food for the first 500 students from local vendors, a live DJ and over 40 multicultural student organizations coming together are the main ingredients to make another Mosaic Mixer possible.
On Wednesday, August 23, several multicultural student organizations set up tables at the SUB bowl, then moved to Barfield Drawing Room due to rain, and showed what they contribute to campus for freshmen, transfer students and all others in between.
Dearborn Heights, Michigan freshman, Bri Phelps came out and was pleasantly surprised to see the unity amongst Baylor’s minority students.
“I was surprised to see how many [minority students] attend Baylor,” Phelps said. “It was cool to see that and partake in an event of solidarity and fun.”
The organizations represented were vast in subject matter and origin.
Some organizations like ROOTS Natural Hair Club was created from a conversation between friends.
Austin senior and president of ROOTS Natural Hair Club, Victoria Ellison, noticed the lack of an on campus organization that provided a safe space for natural hair care.
“At the beginning of last school year, my friends and I were talking and we really needed a group about self care, self love and support,” Ellison said. “We thought a cool way to do that would be to create a natural hair club where we can also educate students who wanted to learn more about black hair.”
Flower Mound sophomore Alek Virani, service chair of Indian Subcontinent Student Association (ISSA) is excited about the new year and looks forward to growing as an organization.
“Accountability is number one and a close knit family is what we’re hoping for,” Virani said.
Houston senior and president of the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) Damian Moncada shared what their organization is centered on.
“What we really center around is many cultures, una familia, which is Spanish for one family,” Moncada said.
In addition to organizations setting up tables and reaching out to potential members, 10 multicultural organizations performed. The organizations performing were African Student Association, Filipino Student Association, Korean Student Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir, Baylor Intellectual Property Organization and Lambda Phi Epsilon.
As a new club, ROOTS is focusing on establishing themselves on campus and plans to do so as a place of support.
“I really would like Roots to become this big support group of people being vulnerable with each other, being ready to learn with each other, being uplifting each other,” Ellison said.
In the past, many students have voiced their need for a greater amount of representation across campus. With the new administration and events such as this Moncada is optimistic about this year.
“I’m very optimistic about how much diversity is very much flourishing on our campus and I can’t wait to see what this next year brings us,” Moncada said.
Regardless of being an Indian subcontinent group, ISSA wants to reach a wide group of students and collaborate with them.
“We’re also trying to be inclusive and allow other clubs to join in and have other multicultural groups come as one, because that represents Baylor family,” Virani said.
As HSA enters a new academic year, Moncada shared the three things they plans to implement fully.
“What we really want to do is three things, foster Hispanic culture, advocate endlessly for diversity and inclusion to make a more collaborative community and enhance the personal development of our members,” Moncada said. “Those three things are our core goals and mission.”
If interested, you can also connect with ROOTS, ISSA, HSA and ASA on their perspective orgsync pages. On orgsync, you can see their upcoming meetings, and their organization contact.
In addition to orgsync, you can look on their social media pages, in particular issa.baylor on snapchat that Virani runs.
