Mosaic Community provides comfortable "home" for students

"A home away from home--that's what your residence hall should feel like to you," said Brian Davis, Calvin's Mosaic Community coordinator. "When I was a student here though, I didn't feel like that."

"I knew what I was getting into both academically and socially," said Davis, who graduated from Calvin in 1991. "I just remember getting out of my car, walking into Noordewier--VanderWerp and hoping to see someone of color somewhere. That would have made me a little more comfortable."

That was one of the goals of the Mosaic Community, which was initiated this year through a grant from the Kellogg Foundation.

One floor in Kalsbeek and one in Huizenga residence hall was dedicated to multicultural living. Fifty-five students chose to live on the floors this year.

"People are surprised though that the majority of the students are white," said Davis "We also have African Americans, Latinos, Asians and international students. What is significant though, is that they are all really open-minded about learning about each others cultures."

In fact, all of the students are required to enroll in a for-credit seminar on multiculturalism and diversity issues.

"One student wrote in her journal about her experiences first semester saying that she had learned that while we all look very different on the outside we have a lot of the same fears, goals, desires," said Davis. "I think a lot of the students are finding this out."

Sharie Latham, an African American student, chose to live on the floor after living off campus her freshman year. "I thought it would be a good idea to get to know more people," she said. "What I have found is that there are a lot of white people who are interested in learning about other cultures."

By having their own place, students find a level of acceptance, he explained. "They can listen to their own music and wear certain clothes and not feel so isolated."

Davis says he would have chosen to live here as a student. "I was hesitant to play music that I liked in the dorms," he said. "I never felt like I owned a piece of it."

"The biggest criticism has been that people think it's a way of keeping all of the minority students together," he continued. "What they don't realize is the majority are not minority students. It's more a community of people accepting and appreciating each other for who they are."

In addition to regular residence hall living, the students get together on special occasions to celebrate various cultures. For example, they had a pinata party celebrating Spanish heritage recently.

Because of the many benefits of the floor, Latham hopes to live on the floor again next year. "The idea of Calvin supporting a floor like this has a lot to do with my attitude towards Calvin," she said. "I've talked to friends at other schools who would like to have this option, They think it's a really good idea."

by Lynn Rosendale