Editor’s note: This article was produced as part of the Daily Wildcat‘s 2018 Campus Guide — the perfect resource for any incoming Wildcat. Whether you’re trying to find important dates, looking for a club to join or are interested in UA history and traditions, we’ll be there to help you get through your first semester. Welcome to the University of Arizona!
One of the University of Arizona’s primary goals is to engage with its campus community, demonstrating diverse and inclusive values. To achieve inclusive excellence, the UA provides several opportunities to interact with people from varying backgrounds. The campus has multiple resource and cultural centers that help with student diversity and inclusivity.
Asian Pacific American Student Affairs
The UA’s Asian Pacific American Student Affairs, along with the other cultural and resource centers, supports students in achieving academic and personal excellence by shaping a safe and inclusive campus environment, according to Paula Maez of APASA faculty.
APASA provides a variety of involvement opportunities for leadership development, as well as a welcoming and inclusive environment rooted in culturally sensitive programming to support students in their pursuit of academic excellence.
Some of the services APASA provides include: tutoring and advising, mental and physical wellness programs and support, professional development opportunities, student organizations, jobs and internships and culturally affirming programs and events.
APASA wishes to recognize that the UA has a diverse community and to encourage Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American students to experience community at the center.
“We strive to let students know about our services, programs, and experiences that deliver an opportunity for them to connect with staff and other students who identify as being from the same cultural background, intersecting identities while focusing on campus and community engagement, personal growth, academic excellence and a diverse UA experience,” Maez said. “Moreover, we encourage our UA community to understand the diversity within our Asian Pacific American student population.”
Native American Student Affairs
According to its website, NASA provides “culturally sensitive academic counseling and support services to American Indian/Alaskan Native students enabling them to achieve academic excellence.”
NASA has programs such as the Early Academic Outreach Native American Science & Engineering Program and Native SOAR, which pairs mentor college students with Native American high school students.
Other clubs and organizations in NASA include Native American Law Student Association, Indigicat Student Association, American Indian Alumni and American Indian & Indigenous Health Alliance. NASA is located in the Robert L. Nugent Building, room 203.
LGBTQ Affairs
The LGBTQ Resource Center, located in the SUMC, fosters safe and inclusive environments for all gender identities and sexual orientation of UA students, faculty, staff and communities by providing programs, training and events.
The center serves as a hub for many of the LGBTQ initiatives on campus and houses multiple student organizations such as Pride Alliance, oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), AROspACE (a discussion group for individuals who identify on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum), the QTPOC discussion group for queer and trans people of color and many others.
African American Student Affairs
AASA’s mission is to facilitate a support system to help students achieve academic excellence and an enriching African American cultural experience at UA.
The center has several programs including B.L.A.C.K (Building Leaders and Creative Knowledge), a residential program that incorporates cultural knowledge and experiences with academic support in a living learning community, Sista Chat, which helps retain and graduate women of color and MOCA (Men of Color at UA) which helps to retain and graduate men of color.
AASA is in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Building and open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Women’s Resource Center
The WRC, along with the Women & Gender Resource Center, “strives to create change on campus in response to sexism and misogyny” through activism, social work and educational programming that supports all identities.
Some of the center’s programs and clubs include FORCE (Feminists Organized to Resist, Create, and Empower), SPEAC (Students Promoting Empowerment and Consent) and VOX (Voices for Planned Parenthood).
The center is located inside the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership on the fourth floor of the SUMC.
The Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Center
The center’s mission is to create a safe and welcoming environment that supports academic success, develops leadership and embraces Chicano/Hispano students’ cultural identity.
The center is located in the César E. Chávez Building, Room 217, and includes clubs and organizations like M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), a national student organization that unites Chicano students in their quest to enhance the development of la Raza through education, the Association of Latino Professionals for America and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
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