FAU to offer new LGBTQ, Latinx, first-generation programs

The new programs are a part of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs’ “rebrand” to the Center for IDEAs.

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A mobile vaccination clinic will be parked outside of the Student Union on the Boca Raton campus on Aug. 23 and 24. Photo courtesy of FAU.

Kristen Grau, Features Editor
January 25, 2019

The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (ODMA) has transformed into the Center for IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity Education and Advocacy in an effort to be more inclusive.

 

The change took place this semester and will include new offices and programs like:

 

  • Office of Hispanic/Latinx Initiatives, which includes programs available to all students
  • FUTUROS Success Program specifically for Hispanic/Latinx students
  • Office of First-Generation Student Success
  • “Lavender Lunches,” which are open forum discussions and “an opportunity to discover LGBTQ resources”

 

“Our goal this semester is to rebrand ourselves and demonstrate that all of us are diverse, all of us should be included and all of us should be advocates,” Associate Vice President of Student Outreach and Diversity Andrea Guzman Oliver said via email.

 

The FUTUROS Success Program will host open forums called “Bodega Central” across FAU campuses that address the “cultural complexities” of Hispanic/Latinx students, according to its flier. They will also offer a new scholarship program, which is packaged with a chance to attend national conferences.

 

First-generation college students will also soon have access to a new mentoring program under their newly-launched office. Oliver said the mentoring program is still a work in progress.

 

ODMA has hosted events celebrating Black History Month, LGBT Pride Month, Hispanic Latino Heritage Month, and more in the past, but the rebranding will add more to the list — like Social Justice Week.

 

This week is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., and kicked off the week with a “Day of Service,” where students branched out to volunteer for the community. A keynote address about diversity will was also delivered in honor of King.

 

“By offering quality programs and educational opportunities to all students, we create a campus climate that values differences and promotes equity,” Oliver said.

Kristen Grau is the features editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @_kristengrau.