Building Community through Faculty, Staff, and Student Mixers
The Faculty, Staff & Student Mixers, hosted by The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) are designed to bring together members of VCU’s diverse communities in a welcoming and celebratory environment. These mixers serve multiple purposes: they create spaces for networking and collaboration, offer opportunities for support among peers, and most importantly, promote inclusivity and diversity within the institution. By uniting students, faculty, and staff from various cultural backgrounds, these events aim to build a stronger sense of community across the university.
Dr. Myriam Kadeba, Director of OMSA, shared, “ It’s always beautiful to see genuine connections being made and the hope of what these relationships can develop into. Students may meet a mentor, a future roommate or classmate, a potential lifelong friend.”
The mixers have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with participants highlighting the strong sense of community and cultural representation they have experienced. These events provide not just a platform for social interaction but also a space where individuals can feel seen, heard, and valued.
Partnerships and Collaboration
A key element of the mixers’ success has been the emphasis on building partnerships across the campus and the broader Richmond community. Campus partners such as the Office of Inclusive Excellence and the Black Educators Association, along with community partners like local restaurants and vendors, have played significant roles in enhancing the mixers. Student organizations, including the African Student Union, Latinx Students Association, Queer Middle Eastern North African South Asian (MENASA) group, Triangle Club, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Affinity @ VCU, have also contributed to the vibrancy and diversity of these events.
“The mixers have become spaces that feel truly communal, seeking to promote inclusivity and belongingness for our campus community,” Kadeba noted. Whether through completing a craft activity together, or mingling with old and new friends over mocktails, members of the VCU community come together for a bit and share cultural food, speak languages other than English, and just hangout.”
These collaborations have not only enriched the mixers but also underscored the importance of working together to create inclusive and meaningful experiences for all VCU community members.
Looking Ahead: Expanding and Enhancing Mixers
OMSA is committed to continuing the growth and success of the Faculty, Staff & Student Mixers. Future plans include further strengthening relationships with campus and community partners to increase representation and attendance at these events.
Diverse cultural representations will be a focus in future programming, with an emphasis on maintaining thematic elements such as food, music, and cultural exchanges that celebrate the rich traditions of all communities. OMSA also plans to gather ongoing feedback from participants to identify areas for improvement and to ensure that the mixers continue to meet the evolving needs of VCU’s student body.
Additionally, OMSA will seek new funding sources to sustain and expand these initiatives, aligning with the goals of Quest 2028 and the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) Pillars. A significant future endeavor includes working with local Native tribes to create a dedicated gathering space during Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month. This initiative aims to honor and celebrate the multifaceted heritage of VCU’s Native and Indigenous students, staff, and faculty, as well as the greater local Native communities.
Through these efforts, OMSA remains dedicated to promoting inclusivity, belonging, and cultural celebration across the VCU campus, ensuring that every member of the community feels valued and connected.
Categories Annual Report Stories: 2023-24