Center for Ethnic Student Affairs
Mission Statement
The living mission of the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA) is to provide support to students of color at the University of Utah. While primarily serving the needs of African American, American Indian, Asian American, Latina-Latino, and Pacific Islander students, CESA promotes an environment of acceptance that honors all forms of diversity. The center is committed to providing programming that assists students in navigating cultural, economic, social, and institutional barriers in order to achieve academic excellence. CESA informs its work through the following guiding principles:
Retention
We promote a holistic approach to retention. All university members play a pivotal role in retaining students of color. When all university departments are committed to honoring and practicing diversity, it creates a friendly, supportive campus climate.
Academic Excellence
We support students of color in their journey as young scholars. We encourage them to always put forward their personal best as they strive for academic excellence. Towards this aim, CESA provides programs and resources to assist students in achieving their academic goals. Staff members are committed to identifying resources across the campus available to students for their success. We believe that students of color make important and valuable contributions to the university as well-rounded scholars.
Students of Color as Knowledge-Holders
We recognize that students of color come to the university with a wealth of experience and knowledge. We also acknowledge that people facing challenges often have keen insight into developing solutions. Therefore, we support students of color in recognizing their expertise and developing wise and productive responses to the challenges they face.
Honor
We are guided by a desire to honor students of color. In honoring them, we recognize their backgrounds, communities, and histories as racial ethnic people. We treat their differences and similarities with respect and regard, and ensure that students of color treat one another and every member of the campus community with respect and regard.
Equity
CESA was formed by people of color advocating for racial equity on the University of Utah campus. Thus, we are guided by a desire to ensure that all students have access to the resources they need to achieve academic excellence. We recognize that students of color are not all the same and may have different needs. Therefore, we support students in identifying their unique needs and exploring the best approach to meeting those needs. We also encourage students of color to be advocates for themselves as well as serve as advocates ensuring that all students are treated equitably while at the University of Utah.
Intent and Impact
We focus on both intent and impact. We recognize that people who are well-meaning in what they say or do can have a negative impact on students of color. This happens on an individual basis as well as on an institutional level. Therefore, we are compelled to respond to both intent and impact in addressing the issues that students of color face with one another and other members of the campus community.
