UVA Muliticultural Student Services hosts four identity-based orientation events
The receptions are one example of the university’s identity-based programing.
The University of Virginia’s Multicultural Student Services is offering four identity-based receptions later this month as part of the school’s broader orientation programming for incoming freshmen.
The receptions will occur on Tuesday, August 27, in the corresponding identity-based student centers, which comprise Multicultural Student Services. These are the “Asian American Student Center,” “LGBTQ Center,” “Latinx Student Center,” and “Multicultural Student Center.”
Other identity-based orientation events include the “Middle/Eastern/North African Mentoring Program” and “Hispanic/Latinx Mentoring Tailgate.” A “Queer Brunch” will take place later in the semester on September 30.
The identity student centers in their current form were created in 2020, with the school providing $500,000 in funding per UVA Today, the university’s news center. The school said at the time that the projects assist in its commitment to “continuously promote and strengthen an inclusive community of trust.”
“UVA, as you all know, ought to be a place where everyone feels welcome, and spaces are an important part of that,” President Jim Ryan said at the time.
According to an Instagram post from Multicultural Student Services, the centers began hosting identity-based receptions in 2021. In 2022, the department also provided receptions for “Middle Eastern/North African” and “Native/Indigenous” students.
The University of Virginia has a history of prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. Earlier this year, Campus Reform reported that the school would be hosting several segregated graduation events, including multicultural and LGBTQ-identifying students. This was after a report revealed that the University of Virginia spends $20 million annually on DEI staff positions alone.
Campus Reform has also reported that Virginia public colleges and universities have the highest proportion of DEI staff compared to other states. The school added an identity essay question to its application form in 2023 in response to the Supreme Court case banning Affirmative Action.
Campus Reform contacted Multicultural Student Services and the LGBTQ Student Center for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
