The Multicultural Student Development Office (MSDO) plans to roll out a restructured model of the office that will best allow them to serve their commitment to students and the programs they support. The plan to restructure comes as a response to a decrease in MSDO staff.

Last fall, the MSDO had two employees resign due to new career opportunities. Martin Avila became the Interim Director of the Student Conduct Office, and Khayree Williams took a position in Texas. Their positions have been left vacant in order for the MSDO to take time and reevaluate the model the office currently operates under. “Our goal isn’t just to replace positions but to consider our current model against evidenced-based best practices within higher education,” said Christina Edmondson, dean of intercultural student development. 

Edmondson wants the MSDO to operate in a way that best serves students, and filling the vacant positions just to fill them is not a good long-term strategy, she said. The vacancies provide the MSDO with an opportunity to take a step back and evaluate how to best fill those positions and allow students to step into more internship roles. During this reevaluation time, the MSDO is “bolstering our student affinity groups like My Brother’s Keeper and Puentes,” said Edmondson.

The MSDO serves as a center to support historically underrepresented students on Calvin’s campus. Abigail Leon, a current junior said, “Since day one at Calvin I have had the MSDO encourage me in my transition to college life through programs like Entrada and Impact Orientation.” She further explained how great the community is and how many friends she has made because of it.

The MSDO will be hosting a drop-in open house on March 20, noon to 2 p.m. for students to raise questions, concerns and provide any other form of feedback regarding the office.