Some Northwestern student cultural leaders fear an upcoming change in leadership at the Multicultural Center will adversely impact NU’s minority communities.
Beginning next fall Carretta Cooke will supervise the Multicultural Center, and Latino and Asian American student services, while keeping her current position as director of African American Student Affairs, Cooke confirmed in an e-mail Tuesday.
African American Student Affairs is run separately from MCC, but will be put under the same direction when Cooke takes charge.
Currently MCC is run by Mary Desler, associate vice president for student affairs.
MCC has never had a director, said Tedd Vanadilok, a graduate assistant who works with the MCC. Putting the department under Cooke’s supervision might be part of greater centralization, but overarching structural changes have not yet been confirmed.
Leaders of some cultural groups said they worry that by keeping her title at African American Student Affairs and taking on the supervision of MCC, Cooke might elevate the status of the African American community above that of other cultural groups.
“It would be hard for (Cooke) to balance both positions and do them equally,” said Weinberg freshman Sarah Choxi, public relations chairwoman for the South Asian Student Alliance. “A neutral person — someone who doesn’t have affiliation with any of those (cultural) groups — would be able to better represent the entire MCC.”
MCC assists various cultural and religious groups on campus, from Alianza, a Latino student group, to the Muslim-cultural Students Association, and houses both Latino and Asian American student services in their offices.
Black students comprise slightly less than 5 percent of this year’s freshman class, while Asian American and Latino students combined make up about 22 percent, according to NU’s Web site.
By putting a person in charge who is used to representing a less predominant minority, student leaders argued that the larger minority groups might get less attention than they deserve.
“The theory of the whole hierarchy is what we’re really concerned with,” said Sarah Yun, president of the Asian Pacific American Coalition.
Cooke’s promotion follows a year of tremendous progress for MCC, Yun said.
In the past year, MCC was granted use of its facility at 1936 Sheridan Road. Communication between the three minority communities also has been strengthened, Yun said.
According to Yun, African American Student Affairs historically has been more structured and resource-rich than MCC because it is older.
“We thought (MCC) was on the right path to equity,” Yun said. “It’s natural to wonder, ‘Is this the right move for the best interest of the student organizations?'”
For other student leaders, the bigger concern is that Cooke’s new role will put additional strain on resources among the three minority groups.
“There’s already a feeling that the minority community is under-served,” said Weinberg senior Howard Lien, president of Asian American Students United.
Giving Cooke additional responsibility takes away time she has for black students, Lien said.
Ketica Guter, incoming coordinator of black student alliance For Member’s Only, also is concerned about resources.
“Instead of pumping more resources into the MCC and Black House, it puts (them) in competition for resources,” said Guter, a Weinberg sophomore.
But Guter does not think Cooke’s new position will make the African American community more prominent than the Latino or Asian American communities.
“(Cooke) doesn’t have the time to elevate one community over another because she really has to aid each community that she represents,” Guter said. “She really doesn’t have time to choose a favorite.”
Leaders of the various cultural groups plan to meet with William Banis, vice president for student affairs, to discuss the situation.
Lien said NU administration should conduct a national search to hire a director of multicultural student affairs, which would be a new position.
Despite their opposition to Cooke’s new responsibilities, the student leaders agreed on one positive outcome of the changes taking place.
“Hopefully, it will be able to strengthen the bonds of unity within the multicultural community,” Guter said.
