The Multicultural Center (MCC) strives to coordinate and implement comprehensive educational, cultural, and social programs designed to emphasize inclusiveness while promoting intercultural dialogue, awareness, and respect for diversity. MCC helps students understand and appreciate racial, ethnic, gender, and other differences while creating opportunities for students to challenge prejudice and expand their cultural knowledge and appreciation.
Discover the Multicultural Center
MCC provides a spectrum of services to the university community.
- Individualized counseling is provided on a case by case basis for students in need. We serve as a touch point to refer students to more campus resources for matters needing an exert opinion.
- Facilitating student concerns or complaints, such as those of a racial or affirmative action nature. Individual student complaints are handled individually, and more often than not, problems are dealt with internally.
- Financial assistance is available on a strictly limited basis to students who find themselves without resources once they have matriculated. The Minority Affairs Scholarship Fund provides books and supplies for Rice undergraduates on financial assistance.
- Reference and resource library, which includes a variety of books on cultures, guidebooks on multiculturalism and educational videos. Please feel free to stop by and check out our collection during your next visit to the Multicultural Center in the Rice Memorial Center.
- Tutorial assistance is available in conjunction with the Office of Academic Advising. The particulars of each tutorial session are left up to the individual students. We strongly encourage students to seek guidance in their academics to maximize student success.
- Multicultural student organization support provides assistance with group finances, programming, copying, facilities, equipment, etc. Multicultural organizations represented on the Diversity Council may use the office computers, phone, fax machine, copier and the office account at Copy Club free of charge. MCC will also continue to assist these groups, when feasible, in attending important minority student conferences.
- Special programs of social and/or educational benefit by request. Such events have included co-hosting an Afrocentric poetry performance, leading gender issues discussions in the residential colleges, hosting receptions for new minority students, facilitating dialogues on diversity, developing specialized student support groups and teaching a college course.
- Leadership Development is provided through trainings and workshops during the school year. We plan multiple retreats for students. Our office provides opportunities for student leaders to attend regional and national conferences to help foster their leadership skills.