Running head: College at Cicero Case MCC Case Study

Multicultural Competence Case Study: The College at Cicero

Kevin Bane
University at Buffalo

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College at Cicero Case MCC Case Study

The College at Cicero (CC) is a mid-size, suburban, private college in Central New York.
There are roughly 8,000 undergraduate students attending the College at Cicero, and 7,500
students live in the colleges residence halls. The campus offers over fifty majors, with
nationally-ranked degree programs in Accounting, Journalism, and Nursing. CC is considered a
competitive college in Upstate New York, and attracts students from all throughout New York
State. While students are predominately from New York, the colleges mission is to enhance the
global perspective of its students and holistically develop inclusive leaders in the community.
Despite the colleges location in Cicero, a predominantly white suburb north of Syracuse,
CC features a diverse student body from all over the state of New York. The demographic
makeup of the colleges student population is 74 percent White, 14 percent Black, two percent
Native American, and ten percent Asian. While the student population is quite diverse at CC, the
campus administrators are predominately white, heterosexual, middle-class males. However, the
new CC Vice President for student affairs, Jay Rupert, has pushed an initiative to hire more a
diverse staff to accommodate the diverse student population. Before this hiring campaign, the
diverse students at CC did not feel as supported by the campuss administrators as their fellow
white students. Present CC staff and faculty do not participate in updated diversity trainings
through Human Resources, but VP Rupert will start assigning mandatory workshops over the net
summer and the following academic year. In years past, there were also diversity-related
situations on campus that have stirred controversy with the diverse student body in regards to
administrators providing an inclusive environment throughout the college.
Dylan Seguin is a returning resident advisor (RA) in CCs newest sophomore residence
hall, Renierg Hall. Dylans sex assigned at birth was female, but Dylan identifies as male. About
three percent of CCs existing student body identifies as transgender, and A few weeks after the

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College at Cicero Case MCC Case Study

fall semesters opening weekend, . When Dylan brought this threatening situation to his
supervisor, Residence Hall Director (RHD) Jim Harris,
The push for more diversity training by VP Rupert

Case Analysis

What multicultural issues and dynamics play a role in this scenario?

What beliefs, strategies, or theories from Part One of this book are useful in exploring

this case?
What are possible explanations for why the CC staff is not as diverse as the

undergraduate student population?

Was this situation preventable? If so, what could have occurred before to avoid this

situation happening?
What is your evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses making diversity training
mandatory for all full-time professionals at the college? Especially residence life staff?

Identify and Categorize the Multicultural Competencies

In what ways are multicultural competencies demonstrated in this case?

o How is multicultural awareness demonstrated in this case? By whom?
o How is multicultural knowledge demonstrated in this case? By whom?
o How is multicultural skill demonstrated in this case? By whom?
What specific areas of multicultural competence are missing from this case?
o How is multicultural awareness missing from this case?
o How is multicultural knowledge missing?
o How is multicultural skill missing?

Propose a Solution
Assume that you are Rupert, the Director of Residence Life at the College at Cicero.
Evaluate Your Solution

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College at Cicero Case MCC Case Study

Examine Your Campus