Mars Hill, NC (Feb 23, 2018) Mars Hill University offers our sincere apologies for those offended by the recent social media advertisement for our Bailey Mountain Cloggers’ event. It was never the intent to culturally appropriate on any level. However, we take responsibility for how those images have been interpreted and commit to using this incident as a learning opportunity for our campus community.
Mars Hill University is unwavering in our pursuit of becoming a university that is diverse and inclusive at the very core of who we are. We value our rich student diversity and are committed to educating our faculty, staff, students and community about our diverse world. In addition, we are dedicated to seeking further training to assure that we learn from this incident.
Every spring, The Bailey Mountain Cloggers present a huge production celebrating the history of clogging and dance. This year, the theme, “Legends in Music”, was chosen as a way for students to represent artist who have inspired them to dance. Inspiration came from a variety of genres including country, pop, hip-hop, rock, and the blues. Students were required to do extensive research on the artist of their choice in order to understand that artist’s influences, passions, and dedication to the arts. The students will have the opportunity to pay tribute and honor these legends and the contributions that they have made to American culture. The spring production is a fundraiser that will support the team to travel internationally to folk and dance festivals. To date, the team has traveled to 11 different countries where they have had the opportunity to share with and learn from local dancers about their culture and traditional dance. BMC is committed to paying homage in a respectful manner and only wish to share the artistry learned.
We are proud of the hard work that our students have put into this production. We are working with our Diversity Office to assure that students are properly honoring the immeasurable contributions of all our musical legends. We celebrate our commitment to diversity, recognizing that our success depends on our ongoing willingness to learn and evolve, as we become a premiere liberal arts institution that engage learners into ethical citizens and successful leaders in an ever-changing world.
The mission of the Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office is to create a culturally enhanced campus environment through inclusive education, advocacy, social justice, diversity, and leadership opportunities. It is our goal to provide and promote diverse events such as lectures, concerts, cultural awareness programs, films, and workshops that will assist our students in an understanding of world views that influence their work and relationships.
Students interested in learning more about cultural differences and/or programming are encouraged to contact the Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
In addition to working with our students, the Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office collaborates with the administration and the university Intercultural Committee to develop strategic goals for inclusive education across the MHU campus. This includes faculty and staff focus groups, student focus groups, campus climate surveys, professional development, advocacy and support, inclusive curriculum, and commitment to diversity.
The Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office sponsors numerous cultural programs each year, including:
Alaysia Hackett
Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
ahackett@mhu.edu
(828) 689-1253