Malone, Strickland come from Vanderbilt, Louisville
Following two recent appointments, Student Life’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) is fully staffed after multiple positions went unfilled for months. The positions of director and assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs were filled last month by Shay Malone and Nakia Strickland, respectively.
OMSA “advocates for a welcoming, accepting, inclusive and supportive environment for students across multiple dimensions of diversity,” according to its website. It fosters such programs as the October’s LGBTQ History Month and the Hispanic History Month to promote cultural and social awareness, as well as easing a potentially difficult transition for minority students.
The move to restaff OMSA comes as part of a continuing push for diversity that included the hirings of John Dozier as chief diversity officer and of Kayla Lisenby as coordinator for LGBTQ programs this summer.
Lisenby, who was hired in June, praised both new faculty members for their commitment to LGBTQ awareness, an idea that is relatively new in the realm of cultural affairs.
“I think we have a lot of LGBTQ student resources available,” Lisenby said. “But we still have a long way to go. Both new staff are big supporters of LGBT issues, which is great.”
Lisenby went on to praise Malone, citing her work in establishing an LGBTQ life center in her prior position at Vanderbilt University.
Malone, who had worked in the fields of leadership cultivation and multicultural affairs at Vanderbilt, is looking forward to her continuing work as the new director of multicultural student affairs at South Carolina.
“I started work in a multicultural center as an undergrad,” Malone said. “I really wanted to continue that work as a professional.”
Malone’s position as director will involve coordination of a number of programs within OMSA, including those related to minority race and LGBTQ students. These programs are designed either to educate the general student community on cultural differences or to promote the success of minority students at USC.
“There’s so much we can do as a department to make sure we are inclusive as well as educating the community on cultural differences,” Malone said. “Somebody did it for me, so now I can do it for others.”
Strickland, who started in early September as assistant director of multicultural student affairs, also cited an ability to make an impact on students as a major reason for her interest in USC. Coming from a background as an admissions counselor at the University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law, Strickland sees this position as an opportunity to positively influence young adults.
“I really love to encourage students to step outside of their cultural comfort zone,” Strickland said. “It’s important for them to know that diversity isn’t something you can describe — it’s an action.”
Strickland’s duties include overseeing the Minority Assistance Peer Program, a successful mentoring program designed to improve the transition to college for minority students, as well as coordination of cultural heritage months. Overall, she says, her job is to “make sure all students have the opportunity to experience all programs OMSA has to offer.”