South Portland Community College ( Spcc ) Essay - 1201 Words

South Portland Community College (SPCC) is located in the primarily White state of Maine. Southern Maine is more racially diverse than the rest of Maine, but still has only a 15% non-White population. Of the over 6,000 students enrolled at SPCC, less than 20% identify as non-White, and just 6% are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer (LGBTQ+) identified. To address the diverse needs of these traditionally marginalized student populations on campus, over the last several decades SPCC administrators, faculty, and students created the Office of Multicultural Student Life (OMSL) and the Spectrum Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity (the Spectrum Center). The Office of Multicultural Student Life (OMSL) provides a space for racially and ethnically marginalized students to meet and create community. The OMSL, led by Director Tom Haverford, organizes events to celebrate students’ diverse cultures in a way that educates others in the community. The office provides a common area with couches and tables intended to facilitate discussions between students, staff, and faculty who spend time in the office. Director Haverford collaborates with other groups and offices on campus to organize larger events including dance festivals, poetry nights dedicated to celebrating diversity, cultural potlucks featuring ethnically diverse meals made by students, and a weekly coffee hour in the OMSL common area lounge. The Spectrum Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity, led by LGBTQ+ Services