COLUMBIA, S.C. — Though school isn't in session at the University of South Carolina, minority student organizations are making their voices heard about what they call a 'neglected' Multicultural Student Affairs Office.
In the basement of USC's student union, the Russell House, is the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA). This week, there's been some discussion about USC's OMSA, as multiple student organizations say that the school needs to prioritize the office. The office funds and helps organizations for minority students.
The Director of Multicultural Student Affairs will be leaving the university soon. According to USC, Shay Malone will be moving to another school. As of Thursday, USC still needs to name a replacement or interim director. Another staff member in the same office is also wrapping up her time at USC, leaving one person in the office for the time being.
More than a dozen organizations under OMSA are demanding the school hire an interim director and fully staff the office by spring. The Freedom Riders Organization, an advocacy group for marginalized communities, is one of the groups speaking out.
"We want a press release, official statement from university officials saying that OMSA staff, we got that handled," said Shalaia Myers, one member of the Freedom Riders Organization. "And saying that we will still continue on with programs, and that there will be no further delay of staff in general, and that there would be improvement of OMSA, and most importantly we want OMSA to be seen as an importance here at the university."
The Latin American Student Organization at USC is another group involved. They're worried about funding and help with their events and recruiting.
"Not making it feel like a safe space at our school," said Janeth Landeros, the events coordinator for the Latin American Student Organization. "We want to have the visibility and the representation that we need."
A university spokesperson said they'd told students they'll hire more staff. The spokesperson shared this statement with WLTX:
"As is standard practice, we will post the director position once she leaves and will conduct a thorough search for her replacement. We also will be recruiting for two additional staff positions in the OMSA office. We will work to identify the best possible candidates for all of these important roles."
Freedom Riders Organization members say the group knows OMSA isn't going away but is making sure the office is a priority of the university.
They said they've seen diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in higher education neglected in recent years.
In Florida, state officials have cut funding for these programs, and students here want to be vigilant about preventing this.
"We're doing preventative measures," said another Freedom Riders Organization member, Carla Gonzalez. "Which is extremely important because it's easier to have the preventative measure than to just let it happen."
The student organizations say they'll continue to speak out until the university addresses their concerns.