Created in 2016, the African Student Association (ASA) is seeking to unite students and faculty of African culture and heritage.
The organization hosted its first open house on Thursday night in Swang. The event featured a variety of African symbols, flags and music, as well as complimentary African foods.
“I am excited about this organization raising awareness for the African students at Lipscomb,” said Sena Seged, the first African Student Association President.
According to its mission statement, the purpose of the African Student Association, is to “enhance, promote and recognize the diversity of African students, as well as to unite and embrace all African nations represented on Lipscomb’s campus.”
Seged said that forming this organization is a positive step towards increasing cultural awareness and overcoming racial tensions that have surfaced across the country during the current Presidential elections. Seged noted that there are also a variety of challenges that are presented when seeking to promote diversity on a campus like Lipscomb which has a primarily (77 percent) Caucasian student body. She said that teaching cultural sensitivity towards minorities is key to making positive changes.
“One of the biggest challenge is having students of all backgrounds accept and embrace African culture,” Seged said. “I have witnessed my friends having difficulty expressing their culture on campus. For Africans, it is important to have the ability to freely express their culture. Lipscomb needs to listen to and recognize and respect all cultures on campus.”
Seged also pointed out that that there is confusion about the difference between the African Student Association with African American Student Services. The ASA was formed because many Africans do not feel a part of the African American “black history” experience, solely connecting to African culture. Seged wants to raise awareness of the cultural differences in upcoming ASA events.
In an attempt to recognize campus-wide cultural differences, Lipscomb has actively taken steps in recent years to grow in ethnic diversity and encourage cultural awareness. Minority enrollment has increased 263 percent in the last ten years, with more than 40 nations and 47 states represented on campus. This year, 18 percent of the student body is non-Caucasian, now making Lipscomb one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in Tennessee.
Lipscomb Administration has shown an interest in continually expanding its culturally diverse programs and on-campus organizations. This week, Senior Vice President for Student Life, Scott McDowell, held an information session for Lipscomb’s Latin student body in an effort to “bridge the gap” between cultures, address student concerns and answer questions regarding diversity on campus.
The Office of Intercultural Development has expanded its reach to include the following ten sub-groups. The groups represented on campus include:
- FUTURO (Professional association for Latin Students)
- IHS (W.E.B. Dubois Intercultural Honor Society)
- ISA (Indian Student Asociation)
- KIT (Kappa Iota Theta, Black Student Association)
- LIS (Lipscomb International Students
- LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens)
- REAP (Intercultural Mentorship Program)
- Southern Word (Spoken Word club)
Students of all races and cultures are invited and encouraged to attend cultural events to show unity and support for Lipscomb’s growing minority population.
For more information, you can visit Lipscomb’s site for Intercultural Development.