Welcome to the Office of Multicultural Student Services
The Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) welcomes you to Spring quarter. Our team is excited to center students in our work and support their needs. MSS consists of four programs: Black Student Coalition (BSC), Blue Resource Center (BRC), Ethnic Student Center (ESC), and La Plaza. We are a part of The Centers for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement and work closely with our colleagues in the Disability Access Center, Disability Outreach Center, and LGBTQ+ Western.
Our Retention Specialists are dedicated staff members who support individuals and clubs with identity development, leadership development, and helping students reach their goals. We also work collaboratively with staff and faculty across campus.
Spring quarter is a busy one, with so many events we’d love to see you attend! The ESC, now a collection of 25 active clubs, is excited to support our clubs in hosting beautiful heritage dinners, as well as events like the Low Rider Show, Powwow, and the Coastal Jam. To learn more about what clubs are doing, be sure to follow our Instagram at @wwuesc.
Multicultural Student Services is also celebrating Arab American Heritage Month, UndocuMonth, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month. Below are welcome letters from each of our Retention Specialists. Make sure to follow all of us on social media and reach out for support! Want to receive our quarterly welcome? Sign up to MSS updates about programs and events: MSS Updates Sign Up Form – Fill out form.
Established in 2021, the Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) is dedicated to supporting and serving all students, with a special focus on those from historically marginalized communities. We provide leadership and guidance for a variety of student organizations and resources, including the Black Student Coalition (BSC), Blue Resource Center (BRC), Ethnic Student Center (ESC), and La Plaza. Soon, MSS will also be home to an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) cultural center.
MSS is committed to offering a welcoming space where students can engage in educational programming and training focused on identity development, leadership development, and community building. We organize events and celebrations centered on identity and culture, and collaborate with campus partners to build a more inclusive environment for underrepresented and marginalized student populations. Our work is focused on addressing systemic barriers and creating spaces where every student can feel a true sense of belonging.
The Multicultural Center, opened in 2019, was created in response to student advocacy and is home to a wide range of resources that support students from diverse backgrounds. These resources include the Ethnic Student Center, Black Student Coalition (VU 504), Blue Resource Center, LGBTQ+ Western, La Plaza, Office of Student Resilience, and the Tribal Relations Office. This space is open and accessible to all students, with an emphasis on uplifting marginalized voices and fostering a community of belonging for everyone.
MSS Mission
The Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) creates initiatives and programming to support Western Washington University’s strategic goals in equity, excellence, and inclusion for our students. The MSS strives to create and ensure an inclusive Western Washington University community by centering and amplifying the voice of students with underrepresented and marginalized identities and supporting student success. We do this through collaboration, celebration, advocacy, and the development of learning spaces that focus on the topics of race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and ability.
Our Goals
- Enhances students’ understanding of their own and others’ culture, heritage, and identities.
- Promotes and enhances holistic student development including advancing their intellectual, career, social, ethical, and social justice development.
- Identifies and addresses institutional policies and procedures that create inequities to access, retention, and graduation of underrepresented and marginalized student populations.
- Empowers students to impact campus climate through advocacy and allyship.
- Provides opportunities for students to establish satisfying interpersonal relationships.
- Cultivates campus and community partnerships to build networks of support for students and enact necessary changes to address bias and prejudice.
*Established from the 2019 Council on the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education Multicultural Student Services assessment.