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Diversity and the first year college

The First Year College supports the mission of NC State University to encourage our students to engage and collaborate with students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds. We believe that doing so will help our students to become more educated both inside and outside the classroom, creating more well-rounded students in an ever-competitive global market.

Here at the people’s university, we welcome all people regardless of ethnicity, race, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, religion or disability. While these may be things we choose to identify ourselves as, they do not define us. Instead, we choose to be defined by our excellence and our commitment to growth. Because diversity is what makes our lives richer and gives us the chance to advance our university, NC State will continue striving to be more diverse in hopes of creating a culture that values empathy, respect, tolerance and equality for all. In doing this, we hope to serve as pioneers in a much larger way, paving the road for a more diverse and inclusive world – both at home and abroad.
- Chancellor’s Statement of Diversity

FYC Diversity Committee

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Staff Trainings and Accomplishments

The First Year College staff is committed to personal and professional development in order to better understand our students. The following are workshops and presentations in which our staff have participated during recent years; additionally, we have listed the trainings, presentations, and instruction our staff have given to faculty, staff, and students.

University Committees

workshops/presentations attended

Trainings, Presentations & Instruction given

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Student Engagement and Forums

In accordance with the mission of NCSU, First Year College encourages our students to become involved in the campus community, to engage in cultural and diverse opportunities in order to become global students. A key goal for our students is:

To encourage students’ awareness of and participation in the increasingly diverse community they have joined (FYC Goal # 3)

During the 2010-2011 academic year, First Year College collaborated with multiple campus partners to provide students an opportunity to learn, discuss, and dance!

Half the Sky
Nearly thirty students attended a discussion on topics related to the 2010 Summer Reading Half the Sky. Students learned the realities of human and sex trafficking, not just abroad but local to North Carolina:

“I learned that NC was ranked in the top 8 most common sites for human trafficking. This shocked me.”

- Student Comment

Students engaged in discussion and learned how to approach situations here at NC State. They showed that this is not a one-gender issue.

"[The facilitators] challenged us to go out and inform others so that we could potentially be leaders fighting for justice. It really opened all of our eyes and made us grateful for what we have and to also find a way to make a difference.”

“I was also impressed by the presence of the males at the meeting. I think it's important that they Engage as well as females, in learning what's going on in our own backyards and be moved enough to want to do something about it.”

-Comments from students who attended Half the Sky forum.

A Day Without a Mexican

Students who attended this event viewed a video examining the issues surrounding migrant day laborers and immigration. Some students were surprised to learn new perspectives from the illegal immigration debate:

“An economist in the movie said that illegal immigrants cost the state of California a few million dollars, but the work they provide in California agriculture produces an estimate of 100 million dollars.”

Real Life. Real Stories. Experiences of the GLBT community

The purpose of Real Life. Real Stories. was to introduce students to the issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community on campus. Five panelists discusses who they are. The discussion was much more than about gender identity or sexual orientation and showed diversity within a community:

“Their ‘coming-out’ stories were especially funny yet truthful All of them had a different experience that stemmed from how they were raised.”

The event helped students engage with a different culture:

“It allowed me to visit another culture and learn about their experiences. This forum was very informative because it allowed the members of the GLBT community to tell their real life stories and what they have dealt with in their life time.”

The students in attendance recognized that they can help their fellow students:

“[the forum] helped me explore what kinds of people are at this school and how diverse it can be. It helped me to realize that people are people and should not be placed under rules of what others have to say.”

“In the process it also encouraged us to engage in trying to understand what these fellow students have gone through and how we could possible make it better for those in the future.”

Bhangra with the Pack

The final event of the year was Bhangra With the Pack, a night of education, dancing, and community. Forty students watched the Bhangra dance team perform and then learned about the movements of the dance.

Students learned what Bhangra dance represents, including its origination in the Punjab region of India and its agricultural imagery. Students took a risk, stood up and tried out the dance routine. 

“This event brought together two cultures and each learned from one another.”

Several students set a goal to become more involved in general on campus, to join the dance team, or to attend the team’s events in the future.

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This page last updated by mmrust- August 24, 2011 4:03 PM