Cal Poly: An Institutional Analysis

Institutional analysis has been a crucial component of understanding race and ethnic relations. As many of our institutions are based on education, they are a necessary foundation for establishing equity. Cal Poly has a reputation of having small numbers when it comes to students and faculty of color. While the majority of the population has insisted that conditions have improved, the remainder of the demographics are still underrepresented. Events such as Culture Fest are cultural celebrations, which are held throughout the year to build community for people of color on campus. The attendance of white students for these events is relatively low, and there are mixed feelings about whether or not the numbers should increase. I interviewed six …show more content…

Among the people I interviewed, it was common to hear a response regarding the development of positive identity when they were asked about the mission of their center, through which they all have an affiliation. Jose Leon, the coordinator of the Multicultural Center, insisted that two separate missions exist through the center. He said that students have a responsibility to create a welcoming space for others. For staff, they have more of a challenge as they aim to educate the general campus population about issues students of color may be facing. He discussed his concern regarding what he’s witnessed in his position at Cal Poly: the university does not reach out to low income communities, which are predominantly populated by people of color. He stated, “if education is supposed to be the great equalizer, and we’re supposed to be pulling people out of communities to give them opportunities, raising their class level and raising their community, we’re not accomplishing that.” According to Jose, the centers historically evolved at different times for different reasons. Now they are seen as more unified, as many students have intersecting identities that bring them to multiple …show more content…

As most of the respondents were people of color, they discussed how it is very evident that the university is predominantly white. Raha Haghnia, a second year student at the Multicultural Center and coordinator of Culture Fest, had an interesting response. “Personally I don’t even notice until I walk around campus or I’m in class because when I’m at the MCC with my friends, everyone is a person of color or from an immigrant background.” With most of the work Raha facilitates, she is surrounded by a diverse group. She insisted the Multicultural Center has made her experience much better at Cal Poly. Isamar Hernandez, a fourth year in student government, expressed similar feelings. However, she was the only respondent that expressed optimism with the current numbers. “I think every year the diversity rates go up a little bit. It’s also a reflection of some of the changes that have already happened on campus, as well as the ongoing fight for more inclusion and better diversity rates.” Isamar currently manages collaboration among student government and the Cross Cultural Centers, and she has strong leadership roles in each