College of Arts & Sciences
Last spring, the student group United Cultures of Bethel (UCB) collaborated with its counterpart at Northwestern College (called “It’s Time”) to address racial and reconciliation issues on their respective campuses. This year, a stronger bond is being established between the two groups as they partner more regularly to take on common challenges related to race and culture.
Only five miles apart, Bethel and Northwestern take advantage of this proximity by meeting once a month. “The connection is turning into a very effective and encouraging support system,” says David Armstead, head of UCB and executive director of intercultural affairs for the Bethel Student Association. “These are schools that are facing the same issues, and being able to team up with Northwestern has been a truly positive experience.”
UCB currently has five sub-groups that specialize in representing the various cultural groups on Bethel’s campus: African American, Asian American, First Nations (Native American), Latino/Latina, and European American. These groups meet weekly and then come together at various times to celebrate diversity. UCB’s most recent project was observance of Native American History Month in November. The group traveled to Chicago in November for the 54th annual powwow hosted by the American Indian Center. Guest speakers on campus included Henry Yesno, Joyce Waswa, and Joe Waswa.
UCB is undergoing some major changes this year as they recently achieved “organization
status” at Bethel. Previously, UCB was recognized as a club but
was given the opportunity to step up a level due to growing membership,
developing partnerships like the one with Northwestern, and additional
subgroups.
“We want to do our best in promoting reconciliation and are gradually moving toward progress,” states Armstead. “We are building a strong foundation, first with Northwestern, and hopefully people will make more connections out of it. Overall, the goal is to get everyone to be open about diversity because it’s something that should not be pushed to the side.”