It will mark its 10th anniversary as an OSU department Oct. 9

For those who question the practicality of an ethnic studies degree, Edith Quiroz Molina can attest to the value businesses, schools and non-profit organizations place on cultural competency and diversity awareness.

Molina first started taking ethnic studies classes at Oregon State University in 1997, when the department was in its second year. She graduated in 2002, and now owns a Beaverton-based diversity consulting company, Red Consulting Group, LLP, with her husband, David.

“The most important thing I learned (in the Ethnic Studies Department at OSU) was to be proud of where I come from and who I am and the history of my ancestors. That has been the strength of my courage, my motivation,” said Molina, who was born in Mexico but grew up in the United States.

Next month, OSU’s ethnic studies program will mark its 10th anniversary as a department within the College of Liberal Arts, and Molina will be among those who speak at the celebration.

The department opened in fall 1996, in part as a response to discrimination against a black student who highlighted the need for more diversity awareness on campus, said Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, chairwoman of the department and professor of ethnic studies.

In the spring of 1996, two white OSU students pleaded guilty to attempted intimidation, Oregon’s equivalent of a hate crime. They used a racial slur against the black student and attempted to spit and urinate on him from a dormitory balcony.

“The campus got up in arms. A lot of students started demanding OSU do things differently,” she said.

Faculty members, especially Linc Kesler, formerly of OSU’s English department, and the late Manuel Pacheco, part of the philosophy department, decided existing curricula across various departments at OSU “didn’t offer sufficient courses on racialized ethnic minorities in the United States,” so they advocated for the formation of a department devoted to ethnic studies, Gonzales-Berry said.

In its first year, the department served about 100 students. Patti Sakurai, assistant professor of Asian/Pacific- American studies, and Kurt Peters, associate professor of Native American studies, were its only full-time faculty. The first ethnic studies major didn’t declare until 1999.

A lot has changed in the past decade.

Now almost 1,200 students take ethnic studies classes each year. The department has 45 majors and 14 minors, and five full-time faculty.

Eighteen ethnic studies courses can be used to satisfy general education requirements, which helps the department attract students, Gonzales-Berry said.

Ethnic studies is also part of OSU’s Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program, for students who want to pursue a graduate degree.

The department is housed in Strand Agriculture Hall, which Gonzales-Berry initially found odd.

But considering the building is one of OSU’s oldest, and is situated right in the heart of campus, it makes sense, she said.

“They didn’t want to isolate the department, or put it on the fringes. It’s very central to OSU, its mission and its functioning at all levels,” according to Gonzales-Berry.

The department faced some opposition when it first arrived on campus. It had to deal with those who felt it unnecessary, and to build a student base.

Gonzales-Berry, who came to OSU in 1997, said she attended about three evening campus events per week during her first years here to promote the department.

“We had to be visible and were involved in every campus activity related to minorities and diversity, just to let people know that we’re here and who we are” she said.

Ethnic studies students can focus on American Indian, black, Asian/Pacific-American or Chicano/Latino groups. They also investigate the intersections of race and ethnicity with other factors such as class, nationalism, gender, sexuality, immigration and globalization.

The department also emphasizes outreach, and tries to create a bridge between Oregon’s minority communities and OSU.

Mikhelle Gattone, a senior majoring in ethnic studies, came to OSU as a transfer student. Because she missed freshmen orientation activities, Gattone didn’t know about all the cultural groups on campus until she took an Asian-American literature class from Sakurai.

“I just really got wrapped up in the ideas of race and ethnicity,” she said.

Through her involvement in the department, Gattone, a Cherokee, discovered OSU’s Native American Longhouse, where she now acts as internal coordinator.

With the department’s support, Gattone started the Ethnic Studies Student Association.

“It’s a safe place to talk about race and ethnicity and how it affects society,” she said.

As the department moves forward, Sakurai and Gonzales-Berry hope they’ll be able to bring in more faculty with diverse interests, especially in global cultures.

“We try to be involved in research that will make a difference in communities in Oregon,” Gonzales-Berry said.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.

At a Glance

What: 10th anniversary celebration of Oregon State University’s Ethnic Studies Department

When: 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9

Where: Memorial Union Lounge, 2501 S.W. Jefferson Way

Who: The event is sponsored by the Office of Community and Diversity, and will include remarks from OSU President Ed Ray, alumna Edith Quiroz Molina and Michael Oriard, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts