In an effort to increase the collaboration between the many multicultural groups at Miami University, the first Diversity Affairs Expo will be held Sept. 28.
According to Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, the director for the Center of Diverse Student Development, Miami lacks a strong cultural infrastructure. She said individual groups do not typically collaborate to achieve goals and there are not many friendships or alliances between organizations.
"The primary purpose (of the expo) is to get these multicultural student groups to see they have a lot in common," Domingo-Snyder said.
She said all these groups are fighting oppression and dealing with being a minority on a primarily white campus and that they all share a bond.
The expo will be informal, with tables arranged around the room for each group to display information about their organization - much like Mega Fair.
However, unlike Mega Fair, which is designed to help the entire student body learn about groups, the Diversity Affairs Expo is intended to help groups learn about each other.
Rob Lewis, the diversity affairs secretary for ASG, said students are welcome to go and check out the groups. But, the chief purpose of the expo is to have the heads of the groups meet each other, work together, and form an intercultural and multicultural community.
This is the first Diversity Affairs Expo and Lewis hopes it will become an annual tradition.
"It's a good way to start off the year," Lewis said.
Because this event is not designed to attract individual students, sponsors have not promoted the event around campus. Lewis and Domingo-Snyder e-mailed the leaders of the student organizations about the event, so the heads of the organizations have been informed. Domingo-Snyder said the promotion was low-key, and mostly done through word of mouth.
There are approximately 30-35 minority organizations registered with the Office of Student Activities and Leadership. Lewis said as of Sept.13, 13 or 14 groups had confirmed they were attending and he expects more reservations before the expo.
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Some of the groups that have already registered include Spectrum, the Asian American Association and the NAACP.
The expo is not limited to minority and multicultural groups. Domingo-Snyder said other groups and individual students are welcome to attend. She said they are reaching out to everyone on campus and are trying to see how different groups can work together to achieve common goals.
"I would encourage all groups to come out to see if there are ways to collaborate," Domingo-Snyder said. "I would encourage students to come out and learn what these multicultural student organizations are doing, to see if there is any way to collaborate. This would benefit not only these groups, but the entire climate at Miami."
The expo will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Shriver Multipurpose Room.
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