Buctainment held a multicultural celebration on April 6 in the Culp Cave, complete with music, snacks, desserts and friendly discussion. This event was dedicated to encouraging relationships between different campus organizations and cultures.
This is the first event planned and hosted by the new Diversity and Inclusion chair members Marli Simone and Melissa Orozco-Perez, who planned the festivity to recognize ETSU’s diverse student body.
“We wanted a chance to introduce the multicultural organizations to Buctainment to build a partnership,” said Simone. “We thought this would be a great chance to relax, get to know each other and build some connections.”
Looking at Buc-Hub and personal calculations, out of the over 300 official ETSU student organizations, less than five percent of them spotlight diversity, inclusion or a specific culture. So, it is essential for ETSU to construct an awareness of equity to ensure ETSU is a safe and comfortable place of learning for all students and staff. This includes all different backgrounds, traditions and more.
Orozco-Perez said she hopes that advertising this mix and mingle on Buctainment’s social media accounts will peak the interest of students, possibly even inspiring future collaborations with some of the cultural organizations on campus.
“We want them to know that they have a voice and we are actually trying to make a change by making other organizations who maybe don’t have as big of a platform know that we are willing to work with them and bring more diversity to campus,” said Orozco-Perez.
For more information on future Buctainment events or meetings, contact them at etsufun@etsu.edu. Any comments or questions for the Buctainment Diversity and Inclusion co-chairs can be sent to martinms@etsu.edu or orozcoperez@etsu.edu.
