Cultural clubs and Student Affairs aim to bring ethnic diversity and awareness to Pepperdine.
By Crystal Luong
Staff Writer
One face, two face, red face, blue face.
Black face, blue face, old face, new face.
This face has a little star.
This face has a little car.
Say! What a lot of faces there are.
The many faces that compose the Pepperdine community represent all facets of life from all around the United States and the world. With each face, an element of diversity, whether based on ethnicity or social background, is integrated into campus culture.
While academics are a priority, university life involves immersing oneself in the surrounding environment and gaining a broader perspective on culture. Though the Campus Life Diversity Program has been integrated into Student Activities, the new department focuses on promoting diversity as a collective responsibility.
“The mission of Student Activities,” said Tabatha Jones, associate dean of students for Student Activities, “is to create meaningful co-curricular learning experiences that engage students in intercultural communication, collaboration, and understanding.”
And the diversity issue is a top priority on the administration’s agenda, according to Jones.
“I’ve seen ethnic diversity increase over the years,” Jones continued. “I have also seen an increase in student engagement of issues that relate to cultural diversity and an effort to provide a dual rationale for cultural diversity that’s rooted in Christian and academic missions of the University.”
In addition to Student Activities, international and ethnic clubs on campus provide venues that allow students of all races to gain insight and become comfortable with other cultures.
“We are out there to spread culture to the rest of campus,” senior business administration major Kamaka Lehuakealohamaiokalani-Parker, the co-president of the Hawaii Club, said. “It’s an open-door policy. You can bring yourself, friends and family to get involved. We’re a fun group and we’re open to everybody.”.
In fact, a common thread that runs throughout the Asian Student International Association (ASIA), the Black Student Union (BSU), Hawaii Club, the Pepperdine International club (PIC) and the Latino Student Association (LSA), is an open-door policy that welcomes members from all backgrounds to join.
In specific, each ethnic club holds social and cultural events during the course of the year to promote their missions.
ASIA president Harune Abe, a sophomore advertising and French major explains that ASIA’s events aim to promote a more diverse cultural understanding of Asians.
“When some people look at Asians, they see each one the same way,” Abe said. “By having cultural events, we (ASIA) want to make it clear that Asians aren’t all the same. We try to show the little things that can promote a different perception of us.”
This is the first year that ASIA is operating as a combination of the former Asian American Association (AAA) and ASIA clubs. When Asian New Year comes about in February, ASIA will sponsor Asian Heritage Week to educate the campus and to highlight distinctive cultural aspects such as the Chinese lion dance.
The Black Student Union this year is under the leadership of President Katrina Scott, a senior English writing and rhetoric major.
“When I came to Pepperdine freshman year,” Scott said, “I never really knew what it was like to be in the minority. My culture shock wasn’t about being a minority though, but it was being around other blacks who really struggled with their identity.
“The organization didn’t represent the diversity of the culture and I didn’t want stigmas to be pushed on me,” Scott continued. “I joined BSU after my work in the Campus Life Diversity Program. I ran for president because I felt that I wanted to put myself in a position to affect change.”
BSU hosts devotionals, monthly coffeehouses and social events for its membership of more than 100 students. Along with the Latino Student Association, BSU co-sponsored the annual Pepperdine 3-on-3 basketball tournament. BSU also collaborates with Student Ministries on events.
For the Hawaii Club — the Inter-Club Council’s choice for last year’s Club of the Year — promoting culture is about pride.
“We’re a proud people, but we try to help other people out too,” Lehuakealohamaiokalani-Parker said. “Hawaii Club is about the people and getting together, and the food, too!”0
Junior psychology major Diana “Kiana” Vela is proof of the Hawaii Club’s open-door policy. She is not a native Hawaiian, but has remained an active member to “spread the aloha.”
Hawaii Club participates in regular community service projects and works with other campus clubs. The Hawaii Club’s spring luau last year posted an attendance of more than 500 people and serves as an example of the club’s cultural outreach. Aside from Pepperdine students who attended, the club also brought in 50 kids from the Don King Shelter to participate.
The networks of culture clubs on campus frequently plan events together in order to extend their reaches. In the spring, they form United Friends, along with participants from the Greek system, to participate in Songfest.
However, Scott believes the burden of campus cohesion shouldn’t be left solely to cultural clubs.
“The culture clubs are put under a lot of pressure to the bridge the community together,” Scott said. “But it’s really a collaborative job for everyone.”
In the fall 2002 Term, enrollment to Seaver College for the class of 2006 reached a high of 838 total students, a 37 percent increase from 2001, according to finalized Seaver Admission Stats. There are a total of 27 international students enrolled and all 50 states are represented at Seaver. Within the class, 34 percent of the students have declared an ethnic background including 2 percent who are Native American, 7 percent who are black, 11 percent who are Asian, 12 percent who are Latino and 2 percent who are Pacific Islander.
“In comparison to other local, private Christian colleges, I would imagine that we have similar demographics,” Jones said. “There will be obvious differences, particularly in relation to campus size, with state schools.”
In a further effort to increase campus diversity, BSU is in the process of cooperating with the Admissions Office to promote outreach to high schools with significant minority populations. Currently, Student Activities already works with Admissions in programs such as PepReach to pair Pepperdine with Hamilton High School students in mentoring programs that introduce higher education to underrepresented students of color.
Among the upcoming events to enrich campus culture is Carnival, a cultural festival in the Waves Café on Friday featuring performance groups and ethnic cuisine. The event is co-sponsored by PIC, SGA, International Student Services and Student Activities.
The groups that make up the faces of Pepperdine distinguish themselves in the uniqueness of their cultures. However, these distinctions serve as means for the university to become enriched in campus culture. The diversification of Pepperdine continues with the progression of time. “Events are expanding, attendance is getting larger, and we’re breaking down the barriers we face at Pepperdine,” Scott said, “but we need to also understand that just because we are different, doesn’t mean that we can’t agree.”
In Dr. Seuss’ immortal book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, he concludes by describing the state of the passing days, which appropriately fits the diversity of the faces of Pepperdine.
“Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day, from here to there, ‘faces’ are everywhere.”
November 14, 2002