Following months of student complaints, Multicultural Student Affairs held two focus groups on Thursday for student input on the newly restructured Multicultural Center, but few if any students attended.

The focus groups, held at Norris University Center’s Northwestern Room and at Harris Hall room 307, were aimed at developing a mission statement, goals and objectives for the center, said Carretta Cooke, executive director of Multicultural Student Affairs. Two more focus groups will be held May 11.

Cooke said the focus groups were the direct result of student requests for more dialogue and inclusion in the process.

“We are about to go into writing our new mission statement,” Cooke said. “We thought it was critical to gain student insight about what they want the Multicultural Center to be for and about.”

No students attended the focus group at Norris. Attendance at the focus group scheduled to be held at Harris Hall could not be confirmed.

“No one came,” Cooke said, referring to the Norris focus group. “Maybe they will come next time.”

Weinberg sophomore Amir Siddiqui, the Associated Student Government senator for Multicultural Student Affairs, said students probably didn’t attend the Norris meeting because it had not been well publicized.

Students have complained about not being included in the restructuring process that began in Spring 2004, when the Multicultural Center merged the African American, Latino and Asian American divisions into one umbrella organization.

Changes have been happening slowly but surely, said Ronnie Rios, acting director of Hispanic/Latino Student Affairs.

“None of this happens overnight,” Rios said. “It has been a process to get the student advisory board, and a process to make the focus groups happen.”

Siddiqui praised the administration’s efforts to increase communication with students.

“The MCC and the MSA has made a lot of progress with the creation of the student advisory board, that has already met once,” Siddiqui said. “Carretta (Cooke) has been much more of a presence lately than in the past.”

In fact, Siddiqui said he attended a leadership retreat Saturday for Asian American students hosted by Tausak Tedd Vanadilok, director of Asian American Student Affairs.

Siddiqui said the retreat helped the different Asian American student groups on campus get to know each other and informed students about what resources were available to them at the Multicultural Center.

Siddiqui also said holding the focus groups was an important step.

“Students may be busy now, but at least the opportunity is there for them to voice their opinions and concerns,” Siddiqui said.

Weinberg freshman Julian Hill, the programming chairman for For Members Only, the black student alliance, said he was surprised that no one showed up at the Norris meeting.

“I was supposed to go today, ” Hill said. “But since I knew there was other dates, I just thought I would go to the next one. Now I regret not going.”

He also questioned whether the focus groups would be effective, but said students should give them a chance.

“A lot of people complain, but it is not the same (as being) active,” Hill said.

The next two student focus groups are scheduled for May 11, 7 to 9 p.m. in the Iowa Room and Penn State Room at Norris.

Reach Yndira Marin at [email protected].