- Student Life & Services
- Intercultural Affairs
Intercultural Affairs
Engage. Exchange. Enlighten.
Intercultural Affairs (ICA) works with all members of the University to provide a campus environment where students from different backgrounds and culture groups feel appreciated, respected and valued. Through educational, social, and leadership programs, ICA promotes inclusive values of social justice and human dignity while preparing students to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world.
Our goal is to engage the WCU community, foster the exchange of ideas between students, faculty and staff, and enlighten our campus community.
ICA BRANCHES
The ICA Advisory Board is a standing committee composed of faculty, staff and graduate students. They meet several times during the academic year to provide guidance, support and feedback for ICA with the goal of enhancing the programs and services provided by Intercultural Affairs
ICA Council serves as the student lead branch of the department. The council hosts various events and programs throughout the academic year to foster diversity and inclusion within the student body. They also help plan many of the large-scale events that the department is responsible for. Learn more!
Students
We're here to support students like you during your time here at Western Carolina University.
Whether you're looking for a place to spend some down time between classes or a way to meet new friends, our events and programs throughout the year offer a variety of opportunities to enrich your college experience.
Explore all our programs below and we hope to see you on campus!
This annual experience is designed to expose students to persons or groups markedly different in culture (ethnicity, language, and socioeconomic status) from that of themselves and create awareness for the world around them.
Join us SPRING 2022 for a Cultural Immersion Excursion to Cincinnati Ohio! MORE INFO, REGISTER AND PAY, OR APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP.
Here are some of our past excursions:
Fall 2018 Excursion: American Heritage Tour: The Counter-Narrative
46 Students traveled to Virginia, Washington DC and New York City!
Fall 2019 Excursion - Dinner and a Show
On Saturday, October 12th, 2019 50 students traveled to Atlanta, GA to attend the Cirque du Soleil bigtop show - Volta! The bus stopped on the way down at the Mall of Georgia for lunch and a little shopping. After the show students enjoyed a little more shopping in Atlantic Station before dinner at The Pig and the Pearl.
WCU Pride Week is a week long series of campus wide events, programs and workshops
to bring awareness, education and support of our LGBTQ+ community, culminating with
a Drag Show on Friday night!
A biennial networking luncheon where young women can connect with experienced female leaders on campus and in the community to receive advice, words of wisdom and motivation to aid in their own academic and career journeys.
The next Hats Off is scheduled for Spring 2022.
The Department of Intercultural Affairs developed this graduation celebration as a way to honor students from underrepresented populations and their contributions to the Western Carolina University community.
We wish to provide them with a tangible symbol to wear during WCU's graduation and keep with them after graduation as a reminder of their time at WCU and the support that they have available for their future endeavors. Any student who wishes to celebrate their graduation with ICA is welcomed to participate.
Update for Spring/Fall 2020
Due to COVID-19, and the inability to have face to face celebrations during the Spring and Fall 2020 semesters, the ICA staff created virtual Graduation Celebrations! ICA pins and printed programs were sent in the mail to all the students who wanted to participate in the celebration.
On top of that, videos of the Cherokee Land Acknowledgment and Prayer, Staff Congratulations and Sand Pouring Ceremony, and Keynote Speakers were also created and posted on the WCU YouTube page. We also created virtual Graduation Celebration Programs web pages to share with friends and family so they can enjoy the graduates' pictures and bios.
A high energy platform for diverse student organizations to present themselves to the community in creative and innovative ways.
Join us the first week or so of the fall semester to learn about the Department of Intercultural Affairs.
You'll have a chance to meet our staff, interact with students from NPHC organizations and Registered Student Organizations (RSO's).
Intercultural Fusion 2021 will be Tuesday, August 31st, 6:30pm in the UC theater.
Join ICA every other year for an evening full of Calypso and soca music, Caribbean food, and traditional J'ouvert activities. J’ouvert (pronounced Joo-vay), is a large paint party in the streets created in Trinidad as ritual of freedom from slavery and defiance of former plantation owners, and is now celebrated throughout many Caribbean cultures. The name J’ouvert originates from the French jour ouvert, meaning day break or morning, and signals the start of Carnival.
The next J'ouvert will be held August 28th, 2021 from 9pm-2am in the picnic area (past the softball field).
A series of events meant to bring our collective attention to the many ways in which the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for social justice for all people.
MLK Jr Day 2021 Commemorative Website
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
In collaboration with three other NC system schools, the 2021 keynote speaker will be Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and held virtually on January 26th, at 6:00pm.
To see the full list of the 2021 events visit our MLK Jr. webpage at mlkjr.wcu.edu
Hear what the 2019 Keynote Speaker had to say in this article in the Smoky Mountain News.
Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families. But unless you've experienced poverty, it's difficult to truly understand. The Poverty Simulation bridges that gap from misconception to understanding. This simulation is an interactive immersion experience. It sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty.
These events will be DegreePlus and will be worth R&R credit.
Project CARE aims to improve academic performance and the retention of underrepresented students at Western Carolina University. In an effort to apply theory to practice, Intercultural Affairs has designed this program as a proactive measure to address the academic challenges underrepresented students face at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs).
This program pairs first year and transfer student participants with student leaders who serve as peer counselors who help them to adjust to college life academically, culturally, and socially.
Western Carolina University is committed to the safety and security of our campus community. Through the Red Zone education campaign we educate students to bring awareness to and to prevent sexual misconduct and violence.
The 'Red Zone' is commonly known as the period of time for college students during which they are at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence, coercion, and/or manipulation. The 'Red Zone' is typically defined as the first six weeks of the semester but we will host Red Zone activities and programs throughout the year, such as Take Back the Night, to foster an informed student body
The Safe Zone program provides training to all students, faculty, staff, and community members who are interested in increasing awareness of and sensitivity to issues of gender and sexuality. In order to receive Safe Zone certification, individuals must attend both a Part I and a Part II training.
The Sex Myth - A Devised Play, is a production based off of Rachel Hills' book The Sex Myth. In the book, she explores the gap between our fantasies and reality and exposes the invisible norms and assumptions that shape the way we think about sex today. By bringing The Sex Myth into the physical realm through creative and artist expression, it begins to reflect the paradoxes, stigmas, expectations, and unspoken stories around sex and sexuality.
The Sex Myth - A Devised Play
Thursday, October 14th, 2021
6 - 8pm, UC Theater
An interactive program that allows students, faculty and staff to have an experience with oppression, discrimination, and injustice to heighten awareness and encourage a personal commitment to ending oppression in all forms. The program usually takes about 50 minutes and includes a facilitated group discussion led by CAPS trained volunteers.
Virtual Tunnel Of Oppression Live through Fall 2021
Student Organizations
Western Carolina University has over 170 registered student organizations many of which support students from a variety of cultures and diverse backgrounds.
Whether you're looking for an organization that supports LGBTQIA+ identified students and allies, or a group which promotes the cultural and educational benefits for the African American student body, or Hispanic and LatinX culture, or Native American culture, there is a group on campus for you.
Explore the organizations below through WCU Engage, an interactive platform for our student organizations to feature their groups and events.
Faculty and Staff
The Department of Intercultural Affairs is available to give Diversity Presentations to classes, student groups, departments, and other groups on campus. The purpose of these presentations is to cultivate a campus community that is accepting, knowledgeable and sensitive in diversity issues.
A series of events meant to bring our collective attention to the many ways in which the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for social justice for all people.
MLK Jr Day 2021 Commemorative Website
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
In collaboration with three other NC system schools, the 2021 keynote speaker will be Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and held virtually on January 26th, at 6:00pm.
To see the full list of the 2021 events visit our MLK Jr. webpage at mlkjr.wcu.edu
Hear what the 2019 Keynote Speaker had to say in this article in the Smoky Mountain News.
The Safe Zone program provides training to all faculty and staff members who are interested in increasing awareness of and sensitivity to issues of gender and sexuality. In order to receive Safe Zone certification, individuals must attend both a Part I and a Part II training.
Rainbow 101 Faculty/ Staff is a workshop designed for faculty & staff to better understand inclusive practices & how to be more supportive of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the classroom & community. Topics covered include basic terminology and concepts and examples of microaggressions against LGBTQIA+ people. For more information or to request a training contact Dean Paulk at dspaulk@wcu.edu.
An interactive program that allows students, faculty and staff to have an experience with oppression, discrimination, and injustice to heighten awareness and encourage a personal commitment to ending oppression in all forms. The program usually takes about 50 minutes and includes a facilitated group discussion led by CAPS trained volunteers.
Virtual Tunnel Of Oppression Live through Fall 2021
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Related Links
Contact Us
227 AK Hinds University Center
Cullowhee, NC 28723
Campus Map
phone: 828.227.2276
fax: 828.227.7620
ica@wcu.edu
Dr. Dana Murray Patterson, Ph.D., Director
Tacquice Davis, Associate Director
Dean Paulk, Assistant Director
Karin Kimenker, Admin. Support Assoc.