ABOUT THE OFFICE

The Office of Intercultural Development collaborates with several constituencies at the college and in the community to fulfill its mission. Lafayette College supports diversity through the understanding that awareness, a deeper sense of cultural knowledge, and the ability to operate in a pluralistic community are essential trademarks of a quality liberal education. Lafayette recognizes that a wider scope of thought and greater depth in the quest for learning are enhanced by diversity within the student body, faculty, and administration. The quality of an education depends not only on the intellectual content and quality of the teaching, but also on the people with whom students share their learning experiences. Continuous dialogue and reciprocal support among members of the Lafayette community is crucial to the teaching-learning process, within the context of the college, where heterogeneity, be it cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, or economic, gives voice to a wider range of perspectives and worldviews.

The Office staff includes a Director, who oversees general operations; directs the David A. Portlock Black Cultural Center (PBCC), a resource center charged with supporting the student learning experience for ALANA students; and oversees the Lafayette Intercultural Network Council (LINC), created to promote the development of cross-cultural and intercultural exchange among students, faculty, and administration on diversity and social justice matters. Other staff members include a Coordinator, who assists in the execution of programming and the Office’s mission, an Office Assistant, and student coordinators (Intercultural Assistants), who help carry out the many functions of the department.

(Photo above) Lafayette Trustee Riley Temple '71, founder of the law firm Halprin Temple, spoke to students at the annual leadership institute on campus.

The Intercultural Assistants are responsible for assisting the Office staff with the coordination of year-long projects and serve as campus and community liaisons for the office. Specific projects carried out by the Intercultural Assistants include brown-bag discussions focusing on specific themes related to diversity and social justice, programming, community outreach, and organization relations. The Intercultural Assistants maintain office hours in the PBCC throughout the year and utilize the center for academic and social needs. Other programs initiated and co-sponsored by the office include the African and Latino Markets, the Presidential Speaker Series on Diversity, welcome back BBQ reception, diversity awards ceremony, and conferences and cultural trips that provide active learning experiences beyond the borders of Lafayette, The office helps Lafayette students to build a community of global citizens, create a supportive environment for all individuals from diverse backgrounds, and continuously improve Lafayette for all its members.

OID provides year-round diversity programming and development for the campus and community in an array of ways, including annual cultural celebrations such as Black History, Latino Heritage, Women’s History, and Asian American/ Pacific Islander months, Kwanzaa, and other annual events. We provide guidance and leadership to insure academic and social success for ALANA students, as well as individual students and different groups on campus geared toward promoting cultural pluralism and the exchange of dialogue on matters of race, ethnicity, class, and other issues. The Office also provides diversity training and workshops for professional staff, faculty, and student staff, activities and programs for students, and works closely with other campus departments to assist the college's multicultural and social justice oriented organizations.