University Counseling Services and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will host a “Multicultural Forum” every Wednesday morning at Portland’s Woodbury Campus Center.
The forum, held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. is titled: “Race, Ethnicity and Power.” Meetings will consist of films and informal group discussions.
Multicultural Student Affairs Director Rebecca Sockbeson hopes the forum will “provide a safe space for multi-ethnic students to talk about race, ethnicity and power in the predominately ‘white’ space of USM.”
Being a northern New England school, USM is naturally prone to representing a white majority.
“Students get stuck,” says J.E. Boone of University Counseling Services, “Academia can be a lonely place.” Boone says that many Caucasian students and faculty often do not realize how “natural” academia is to their experience. Boone notes the tradition of pursuing higher education is something that non-Caucasian groups may need help navigating.
Boone is a clinical counselor specializing in multicultural issues. He says an academic culture can feel especially foreign for ethnic students. This transition is what his office is all about, noting without assistance “[students] can spend the rest of their lives wondering what to do with themselves.”
Boone feels the most challenging task is “getting the word out to the student body that there is help in the transition from university life to the working world and students need to know that counseling sessions are available to all students who have paid a health fee.” Twelve sessions are included per year (Sep.-May).
J. E. Boone has office hours on both campuses (110 Upton Hall and 106 Payson Smith) and can be reached at 780-5687.
Find information on Wednesday’s Multi-Cultural Forum at the Multicultural Student Affairs web page: http://www.usm.maine.edu/eeo/culture/mf.htm