On Wednesday, October 12, 2011, MSPS presented Shades of You: The Dark Side of Social Media in the Stern Center Ballroom. 

Dr. Douglas Ferguson, a Communication professor at the College of Charleston, first gave a presentation which introduced social media as a beneficial tool, explaining how it can be used constructively and how those same qualities can also be used in a negative way.  He also shared many helpful resources available on the web, as well as a few that can cause trouble, such as Openbook.org, a site which allows you to search recent Facebook status updates by subject.  Openbook is one site which illustrates how easy it is for others to gain access to information about you online, information that you may falsely assume that only a limited audience can view. 

Arvaughnna Postema, a Communication major and the Advocacy Chair for BSU, and Camille Weaver, a Public Health major and Planning Chair for BSU, explained the dangers of cyber bullying.  They shared several examples of how harassment through social media has had tragic results, including the recent case of Tyler Clementi, a student at Rutgers University, who committed suicide after months of cyber bullying from other students, including his own roommate.  

Vaughn and Camille also discussed the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, a law in Missouri which prohibits teachers and professors from contacting students through social media including instant messaging and Facebook posts.  The law was intended to protect children from sexual predators at school.  However, a Missouri judge has recently granted an injunction on this law, after teachers protested that it would prohibit them from contacting their students for innocent reasons, and in some cases keep them from helping students by barring their access to knowledge that they might not have access to otherwise.  This law has sparked a debate which argues whether the potential benefits are worth the potentional risks of sharing information online.

Vaughn encouraged students to participate in BSU’s advocacy Twitter “Pause Before You Post” campaign, which will take place Friday, October 14 at 12:00 pm. To participate simply Tweet “#11b4P” and tell us how you pledge to be more conscientious in your social media posting. 

In light of recent controversies involving abuse of social media, both locally, nationally and internationally, we hope that this Shades of You helped to educate students on the many benefits and potential dangers of social media.   So just remember to pause before you hit that “post” button!

On Thursday, September 29, 2011, Brothers On a New Direction, better known as B.O.N.D., held their first Open House at the Multicultural Center to recruit new members and answer questions about the organization.  Three new members joined at the Open House, Emmanuel Houston, Ros Drummond, and Brandon Brooks. 

A brief history on B.O.N.D.:

Brothers On A New Direction (B.O.N.D.) is a diverse program geared toward putting collectively a society of freshman and sophomore male students (specifically 1^st generation and minorities) through positive guidance with a support system towards relevant programming and resources on campus in an effort to promote self-development and personal growth. Community leaders, College of Charleston faculty and staff, and especially the Multicultural family will work diligently to ensure that all Brothers receive any necessary assistance and advisement that will enhance their College experience. BOND’s official motto is “Docendo Discimus”, which means, teach in order to learn (we learn by teaching). To go along with the available resources we provide the Brothers leadership with style.

On Thursday, September 29, 2011 the Student Union for Multicultural Affairs, better known as SUMA, had their first meeting of the new year.  SUMA has a new president this year, Natalia Bang, and is working to unify all the multicultural clubs and organizations on campus.  We can’t wait to see what the new and improved SUMA has to offer!

In memory of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, Photos and articles that appeared in the Post and Courier shortly after the attacks were displayed in the rotunda of the Addelstone Library.

This Sunday, Sept. 18, Morris Brown AME Church will host dinner for college students following the 11 am worship service.  Please join them for worship starting at 11:00, and stay for dinner in the fellowship hall afterwards.  Morris Brown is located on Morris Street between King and St. Phillip, just a few blocks north of Calhoun.  All are welcome, so invite your friends and classmates as well!  If you’ve enjoyed their kitchen staff’s food before–like at the SPECTRA dinner this summer–you know this is a meal not to be missed.

If you’re coming for dinner, PLEASE RSVP by return email or text (to 843-364-6232; if you text, please leave your name) by Saturday night so that they can prepare the right amount of food.

On Saturday, September 3, MSPS hosted its 5th Annual Back to School Jam in the Stern Center Gardens. Students had an opportunity to find out about lots of different clubs and organizations on campus while they filled up on their favorite picnic delicacies including fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese.  The Jam was hosted by Tessa and Baby-J from Z93 Jamz, and DJ Natty Heavy selected the tunes.  The NPHC Greeks gave  spectacular “step” performances and ended with their infamous “party walk”. 

It was hard to keep from dancing, and by the end of the performance, students joined the Greeks in the center of the garden for a impromptu dance party.

In honor of National Women’s Equality Day (August 26), MSPS cosponored a panel discussion with Women and Gender Studies.  Marriage was the topic of the discussion, and professors Katie Hladky from Religious Studies, Leigh Moscowitz from Communication, and Sandy Slater from History led the discussion by sharing current views on gay marriage. 

On Wednesday, August 24, 2011, Safe Zone welcomes students back to school with “Mock”Tail Ally Hour.  Part of the College of Charleston’s Welcome Week, students, faculty and staff are invited to the Admissions Courtyard from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm to meet and greet students and members of our campus Ally community and enjoy festive non-alcoholic beverage creations.  Bottoms up!

I’m from Mayesville S.C.. I am a very passionate basketball and football fan. I am the first male in my family to attend college.   I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Students Affairs at the Citadel.  I aspire to one day become the Vice Presidentof a Student Affairs Division somwhere.   

I was inspired to work with the SPECTRA program because I wanted to keep other students from going through the difficulties/issues I experienced coming into college.  I whole-heartedly believe that my freshman experience would have been better if I had someone to talk to during that time.  

Diversity was never really a problem for me growing up, my hometown was pretty diverse.  The SPECTRA program has helped reinforce the fact that diversity is more than just race, that it emcompasses so many different things.  I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what culture you’re from, everyone shares some sort of commonalities.  Participating in SPECTRA and MSPS events has allowed me to meet and connect with people I normally would not have.  It has also made it easier to find and contact resources around campus.

The biggest challenge for me since coming to the College of Charleston has been adjusting to a campus that I felt wasn’t very diverse.

My advice to incoming freshmen is: Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.  There are amazing resources available to you, use them!

I am from Orangeburg, South Carolina.  I enjoy playing videogames, basketball, billiards/pool, and making people laugh. I have two older brothers, Stephen (25) & Chris (23), and one younger brother that I just found out about on my dad’s side, La Rondé (3). My mother raised my and my two older brothers by herself and for that I am indeed a “Momma’s Boy”. I also enjoy helping others and accomplishing my goals.  My major is Middle Grades Education with a concentration in Math and Social Studies. I plan to apply my major to my professional/personal goals by becoming a Middle School math teacher.

I would have to say that the fact that I am very friendly and love to help others is what inspired me to become a SPECTRA counselor. 

I would have to say that I did not experience diversity in my hometown due to the simple fact that it is a predominantly black hometown and I never really understood diversity until SPECTRA and college life in general.  Participating in SPECTRA/MSPS events has taught me a lot about diversity and the importance of diversity. I learned that every individual has their own “thing” and it is important to accept others for who they are rather than being judgmental all the time.  Participating in SPECTRA and other multicultural events on campus has enhanced my overall college experience in a sense that it gave me the necessary materials and advice that I needed to be successful in college. SPECTRA prepared me for what college life is all about and the multicultural events on campus showed me how friendly and open-minded the staff around campus can be.

I would have to say the fact that I had to pick myself back up after I fell hard academically and realizing that I am not at this college alone and that it is alright to ask for help sometimes without feeling embarrassed or stupid has been the most challenging for me at the College of Charleston.

My advice to all incoming freshman would be to enjoy college but work hard at the same time because college goes by fast so it is important to have a social life and have fun in but it is more important that you work hard to get where you want to go in life.