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The Student Multicultural Center (SMC) has had an exciting start to the Fall Semester! We welcomed 275 students to participate in our Kupita/Transiciones program. The students shared their experiences and mentioned they felt they belonged to ½­ÄÏÌåÓý State and that they had a family within the Student Multicultural Center’s staff, student leaders, and participants. With over 30 cultural sessions, community building, and social activities, our Kupita/Transiciones participants felt very excited, proud, and prepared to go into the Fall 2018 semester! 

Two of our empowerment initiatives, Sister Circle and the Male Empowerment Network (M.E.N.) have had a great impact on the start of the semester as well.
Sister Circle kicked off the Fall 2018 semester with their first session entitled ‘Sister, Sistah’. This session welcomed over 90 female and female identifying students who engaged in conversation on defining and exemplifying sisterhood on campus. We laid the foundation to embark on a journey of dismantling myths and creating a stronger community of support, celebration and self-care. Throughout the semester, Sister Circle will remain focused on topics to develop and uplift one another individually and collectively through bi-weekly sessions. Additionally, Sister Circle will continue to extend its reach outside the walls of ½­ÄÏÌåÓý through volunteering with Access Shelter and Housing in Akron. New additions this year include expanding Sister 2 Sister from Kupita/Transiciones (K/T) to our off-Mondays. Sister 2 Sister yields an opportunity for members to connect with the executive board on an intimate level outside of Sister Circle, engage in committee work and just hang out and have girl talk in the SMC. 

The Male Empowerment Network (M.E.N.) is planning a dynamic and engaging year full of empowerment sessions, networking sessions, fellowship outings, volunteer/service opportunities, and events open to the public. We plan to collaborate with several student organizations such as Black United Students, ½­ÄÏÌåÓý Interhall Council, Spanish and Latino Student Association, Sister Circle, and many more. We have strong leaders within our executive board ready to do some great work. We started a new campaign, ‘iHeartMEN’, to create ally-ship with students, faculty and staff across campus and for people in general to show their support for men of color here at KSU. Our goal this year is to have a widespread impact on the empowerment of our men of color on campus through fellowship; hence, our motto for this year, ‘The Brotherhood Starts Here’. 

Finally, this fall, the Student Multicultural Center has kicked off our 50th Anniversary Celebration. We had a week of events including an African Drumming/Dance, Cultural Cook-Off, Trivia of the SMC, and a discussion of the SMC in the next 50 years. We had a phenomenal reception to celebrate this milestone in our Center’s history. We are continuing our efforts by fundraising for our Student Multicultural Center Emergency Fund. This fund will support our students who are in need with their tuition, books, and other cost of attendance needs.