The room is set. Empty chairs sit in both the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs lobby and conference area waiting for the group discussion to begin. The Brown Bag Luncheon will be about the controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Gates, Jr. Ijuanzee Isom, OMSA’s program specialist, sits waiting in a cobalt button-down shirt with a folder full of topics for the Gates discussion lying next to him.
But only one person arrives to take part in the discussion-30 minutes late.
“The Brown Bag Luncheons are held biweekly (and are) about current events that relate to diversity and multiculturalism,” Isom said. “The challenge is to create programs that students are not only interested in, but are willing to engage in.”
Isom said the office attempts to create events that will inspire student involvement. Several large events, like the InterCultural Festival are held each year through the department and are typically well attended, but Isom said smaller discussion groups, like the Gates luncheon, are often left in the cold.
According to the OMSA Cultural Connection Facebook group, “The primary mission of OMSA is to assist traditionally underserved and/or underrepresented student populations (i.e. race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender) through advising, support, program development, retention, mentoring and by promoting an appreciation of diversity throughout the campus community.”
Isom said student turnout can vary greatly on a campus as large as Monroe Park and relying on word of mouth is often unpredictable.
“We’re always trying to find new ways to show we’re here for them,” Isom said. “We’re always trying to offer more and make ourselves more available to students.”
Currently, OMSA advertises its events through fliers, the VCU Events Calendar, the OMSA Web site and the TelegRAM.
Beverly Walker, the director of OMSA, said the subjects for certain programs are often the major deciding factor for student involvement.
“We will continue and see what we need to reevaluate at the end of the year, as we do with all programs,” Walker said.
Ebonie Ricks, a senior criminal justice major, said she attends OMSA’s larger events but was unaware of the programs like the luncheon.
“I don’t think it’s promoted well enough,” Ricks said. “I’m in the Commons all the time and I haven’t heard about it.”
OMSA’s next Brown Bag Luncheon takes place noon on Sept. 15, and the topic of discussion will be “Being Latino in America.”