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Multicultural student groups merge, elect officers

January 12, 2006

KOKOMO, Ind.— Four IU Kokomo student groups—Umoja, El Mundo Hispano, the Native American Student Association, and the International Student Organization—have merged as the Multicultural Student Organization (MSO). As the original organizations did, the new larger group will focus its energies on activities that celebrate ethnic/cultural identity and diversity on campus.

Learning about diverse cultures and people through MSO not only helps prepare students to enter professions in today’s global economy, but can also be a lot of fun, said MSO President Pam Tina. A psychology major from Tipton, Tina would like to see the MSO encourage more foreign-born students to attend IU Kokomo. “Whenever a class has students of different races or cultures, different ages, different genders in it, we can learn so much from each other,” she said.

Other MSO officers include vice president Clely Arzu and treasurer Asmait Gebreyohanes, both nursing majors, and secretary Julie Reed-Rozzi, an English major. All three live in Kokomo.

Advisor and Office of Campus Climate Coordinator Catherine Barnes said the four previous multicultural groups began discussing a merger early this fall. With an average active membership of 15 students, those organizations realized they could accomplish more by combining forces, Barnes said. The MSO and its programs are open to all students of IU Kokomo and Purdue University College of Technology Kokomo, regardless of race or ethnicity.

The MSO, along with the Office of Campus Climate, will sponsor several public events in 2006, including a Poetry Jam on February 23, 7–10 p.m., at Vincenzo's Coffee House, 115 E. Sycamore, Kokomo, and a Wellness Fair on February 28, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

For more information on activities or the MSO, contact Barnes at (765) 455-9359.