The Counseling Center and Multicultural Center are teaming up to create a community on campus for black, indigenous and people of color or BIPOC, to discuss their shared experiences.
This bi-weekly meeting will inaugurate on Tuesday, Feb. 7, just in time for Black History Month. It will take place 5-7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, where snacks and drinks will be provided. The discussion will be led by Khia Hudgins-Smith, diversity-focused clinical counselor, and Nate Tadesse, mentoring coordinator for the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center.
The group is open to all but will focus on BIPOC students; staff is also welcome to attend. Hudgins-Smith believes that the visibility of a racially diverse faculty will allow students to see that there are professors and mentors that understand their struggles and are there to encourage and uplift them.
“ETSU students have been talking,” said Hudgins-Smith. “They’ve been talking for a long time, and they’ve actively and avidly been expressing the needs and disparities that they have observed on campus, especially with students of color and international students.”
Many minority students feel like they do not have support or a safe space here, which causes them to isolate and detach from their peers. The goals of this event are to listen, provide connections to other students and organizations on campus and help students find their strength and voice.
“I think ETSU does a great job at recruiting students of color, of recruiting diversity, we just want to retain them by making sure they are feeling supported and have a community that they can plug into on campus,” said Hudgins-Smith.
Students who are not able to attend but are seeking an outlet can visit the Counseling Center or Multicultural Center, which are there to provide care and encouragement to all students.
For more information on this support group, email hudginssmith@etsu.edu or tadesse@etsu.edu. Visit @etsumcc and @etsucounselingcenter on Instagram to learn more about other events and groups on campus.
