Resources Around the Campus and Community
College of the Liberal Arts Diversity Resources
The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) provides individual counseling and educational services for undergraduate multicultural students at University Park and assists students in meeting the challenges associated with education and attaining a degree at a major research institution. MRC counselors work with students on a variety of issues, and the staff is dedicated to helping students succeed and graduate from Penn State.
Contact: Earl F. Merritt, Director, Multicultural Equity Programs, efm1@psu.edu
Student Groups
The Black Male and Latino Male Empowerment Group is a facilitated open discussion environment for African American and Latino men to meet biweekly within a safe space. The Black Male and Latino Male Empowerment Groups explore shared experiences as Black and Latino men on a majority campus. The goal is to assist men of color with identifying ways to fully embrace the Penn State experience through academic success, the development of community service initiatives, and relationship building, while taking advantage of all academic and social opportunities within the University.
AASIA Mentoring is designed to assist Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students who are new to University Park with their adjustment. AASIA strives to cultivate meaningful mentoring relationships that foster the holistic development of our participants.
Blends of Traditional Heritages (B.O.T.H.) is a discussion group for students of biracial or multicultural backgrounds, with close attention on topics that hold relevance for students with one parent of African American descent and the other parent of White, Asian, Hispanic, or other ethnic background.
The Women of Color group helps to provide a supportive space for women of color on a majority White campus and to explore what this means for them (with regard to identity, relationships, and more), to empower and enhance their voice, and to fully embrace their Penn State experience through academic excellence and relationship-building. This group is a collaborative development between the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Student Clubs
Penn State has dozens of student-run clubs related to culture, identity, religion and diversity. Find student clubs here by entering the types of groups you are interested in in the search engine.
Academic Support Programs
Each University Park-based college has a college multicultural office that provides support for underrepresented/underserved students within the college. This section includes links to each of the college multicultural programs offices.
Coordinates the recruitment, retention, and professional development of underrepresented graduate students.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity serves as a catalyst and advocate for Penn State’s diversity initiatives. Educational Equity’s vision is a Penn State community that is an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
Information and resources for women in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at Penn State.
Activities
This University-wide WebEvents calendar provides a daily listing of diversity-related events, exhibits, meetings, displays, activities, etc. at Penn State that make a contribution to Penn State’s diversity goals as articulated in A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 2010-15.
CAPS provides group therapy, individual counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services for Penn State students and the University community.
The center assists undergraduate multicultural students in meeting the challenges associated with education and attaining a degree at a major research institution.
The PRCC provides programs and services that encourage the appreciation of the diverse perspectives, experiences, and cultures of many under-represented communities
The Center provides programming, education, information, and advocacy services for LGBTQA students.
CSED aims to promote a genuine appreciation of and respect for religious and spiritual diversity for the Penn State community.
The center supports students who have been impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, harassment, and other campus climate issues.
SDR coordinates reasonable accommodations and services to students with disabilities
It provides crisis support to students and families during times of personal crisis, tragedy, and emergencies.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (hereafter called lgbt) collection supports the teaching and research needs for faculty and scholars in a variety of disciplines including but not limited to Art and Art Education, Comparative Literature, Education, English, Psychology, Sociology, Health and Human Development, History, and Women’s Studies. These resources also serve the general and popular interests of students, members of the LGBT community, and the public at large.
International Student Resources
Given the current political climate, these are particularly difficult times for international students. Penn State remains committed to creating a safe environment for all. Please visit the Penn State International Student Offices site and use any of the resources on this page to obtain needed support.
- For international students at Penn State, Global Programs has developed a website to help you navigate the original Executive Order (EO). They pledge to update the website regularly.
- Penn State University President Eric Barron came out with a statement calling for the “order [to] be ended as soon as possible.
- Penn State Law’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic has been working hard to provide a comprehensive list of resources on immigration after the election.
Community Groups
CCU is an effort to support Penn State students in the quest for justice and police accountability in communities around the nation. CCU is a collaborative group of Police Chiefs, Professors, Pastors, Students, and other Community leaders from the Centre County area. The purpose of CCU is to promote an inclusive multi-cultural community that respects and celebrates diversity.
Central Pennsylvania Community Housing is a nonprofit that provides a safe space and low income community housing for students and professionals from underrepresented groups in State College. They value social responsibility, environmental sustainability, queer positivity, diversity, egalitarianism, and cooperative living. It is a place students and professionals can come together to live, share sustainable dinners, express themselves safely, and/or attend various community cafes. The weekly community cafes address things like sustainably, recycling, organizing, diversity and intersectionality issues, how to organize, and how to intervene in situations of discrimination or harassment.
CDG strives to attract and retain a diverse group of individuals to assist in creating and fostering a community based on inclusion, acceptance and equal representation.