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Who We Serve

ODIME offers support to our diverse student populations here at George Mason University. Of these students include LGBTQ+, Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American, Black/African American/African Heritage, Hispanic/Latino(a), Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), and Native American/Indigenous heritages.

ODIME and LGBTQ+ Resources are please to announce Pride Week 2020 coming soon.

For more information on Pride Week, including dates and events, please go to:

https://lgbtq.gmu.edu/programs-services/pride-week/

Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA)

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See APAHM Calendar and Events page.

Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) students make up 16.3% (5,566) of Mason’s total student population (2016-2017), with One-Year Persistence Rate of 91.3% (2015) and Six-Year Graduation Rate of 73.7% (2010). There are over sixteen Asian cultural student organizations at Mason. APIDA students and other students who are interested in cross-cultural learning can get involved.  As a voice for the APA student population, Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) works with other APIDA student cultural organizations to promote APIDA perspectives, raise cultural awareness towards APIDA issues, and network and collaborate with other progressive political voices on campus

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Though May is the national Heritage Month, the month of April is designated Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American Heritage Month for the George Mason University community. During this month, Mason students, faculty, and staff will celebrate the cultural significance of Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi Americans as well as focus on issues of defining the Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American identity, including other identities members of the community hold.  Events throughout the month celebrate Asian cultural heritages, acknowledge contributions and achievements, as well as provide an in-depth exploration of the roles of Asian, Pacific Islanders and Desi Americans in American society.

Proposals for an event to be included on the APAHM 2019 calendar are open until Friday, March 8 at 5 pm.

 

Resources

Black/African Heritage

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We serve as the primary support system for all George Mason students who identify themselves as African, Black, African-American or being of any national/ethnic heritage within the continent of Africa or within the African Diaspora. We engage Black/African heritage students through individual advising, services, and programs that foster an inclusive community, intellectual exploration and holistic development.

By working with our office and utilizing the resources, we hope students will have an enriched collegiate experience that will enable personal and professional development.

Black/African Heritage Month

Every February, ODIME sponsors a campus-wide Black Heritage Month (BHM) to highlight and celebrate the various Black/African Heritage cultures on campus, history and their contributions to the world. Events are sponsored by student organizations, academic departments and a number of offices within University Life.

2020 Calendar

Resources

  • GMU Black Alumni Chapter – From their homepage: “The Black Alumni Chapter, a formal alumni chapter of George Mason University, brings together Black Alumni through fellowship and professional development activities. Founded in 2003, the BAC serves as a resource for linking Black Alumni with unique opportunities to support the University’s Black/African Heritage students, faculty, organizations, and the Mason community.”
    Contact: gmubac@gmail.com
    URL: http://bac.gmu.edu/
  • African and African American Studies & The Paul Robeson Resource Room – Located in the Johnson Center, room 240,
    African and African-American Studies (AAAS)
    http://aaas.gmu.edu/

Black/African Heritage Student Organizations

  • African Student Association
  • Akoma Circle (mentoring program)
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) Omicron Iota chapter
  • Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ) Iota Alpha chapter
  • Amnesty International
  • Anointed Voices of University
  • Black Student Alliance
  • Caribbean Student Association
  • Collegiate Black Men
  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) Omicron Rho chapter
  • Ethiopian Student Association
  • GMU Fashion Society
  • Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (ΙΦΘ) Zeta Tau chapter
  • Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc. (ΚΑΨ) Mu Mu chapter
  • Love Her Fiercely
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • National Society of Black Accountants
  • National Society of Black Engineers
  • Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΩΨΦ)  Eta Delta Delta chapter
  • Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (ΦΒΣ) Rho Tau chapter
  • Rotaract
  • Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (ΣΓΡ) Mu Omega chapter
  • Somali Student Association
  • Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (ΖΦΒ) Zeta Omicron chapter

Hispanic/Latinx

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Hispanic Latinx Leadership Alliance (HLLA)

 

Formed in 2010, the Hispanic Latinx Leadership Alliance (HLLA) is a planning committee of dedicated e-board members from ten recognized student organizations at George Mason University.  HLLA, in collaboration with ODIME, plan the annual Hispanic Heritage Month events, and key community programs throughout the academic year.  Our goals are to empower, educate, and advocate within our diverse Mason community through the sharing of our cultural virtues, enthusiasm and engagement in civic leadership, and meaningful connections.

Our success in building a familia at Mason is dependent upon our own unity, standing on common ground towards a higher vision of true collaboration, compassionate leadership and inclusive community practices.

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)

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Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) is a panethnic and transnational category that describes communities in the U.S. with ancestral decent, direct immigration, or temporary residential status from any of the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (also known as Occupied Territories or West Bank and Gaza), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

MENA Americans are currently legally classified as white for racial identification purposes. There are no national statistics of MENA communities or students on campus other than statistics on international students from any of the abovementioned countries.

We seek to increase awareness within the George Mason community about the various cultures and histories of MENA heritage people given the reductionist and essentialist narrative that the Middle East and North Africa are often connected with.

MENA initiatives and student engagement aims to assist and partner with students, faculty and staff in promoting the diverse cultures, languages, written works and religions of the region. We strive to enhance the George Mason community in their collegiate experience by promoting diversity where it can be valued, appreciated, and celebrated through cross-cultural, trans-historical and inter-religious understanding.

Native American/Indigenous

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Native American Heritage Month 2018

Today, Native American students make up 0.14% (49 students reported) of Mason’s total student population. The Native American and Indigenous Alliance (NAIA) and Indigenous Nations Alumni Group (INAG) serve as support systems to Native American students at Mason and promote the celebration and education of Native American culture on campus.  For more information about NAIA, please check NAIA’s Facebook Page and NAIA’s Organization Page.