The small room on the second floor of the Bowld Student Commons was alive with different languages as a tapestry of ethnically diverse students began to trickle through the open door at the MOSAIC meeting Monday night. From pale skin and freckles to the deep chocolate of Kenyan complexion, the diversity represented among this small group of students was as vibrant as the beige walls of the room were bland.
This kind of concentrated ethnic diversity isn’t common at a school which is 76.11 percent Caucasian—only slightly more diverse than the city of Jackson which is 80.2 percent white. MOSAIC is an organization which not only brings ethnic unity to a largely homogeneous campus, but provides a sense of community for those who are attending school overseas.
“MOSAIC became my Union family,” said former MOSAIC President and alumna Alma Hernandez. “It was a place where I, as well as others, found other students who were on the same boat of not only being physically away from home but emotionally as well. It dissolved my fear that when I came to Union, I wouldn’t be able to find people like me or I wouldn’t be able to be 100 percent myself.”
MOSAIC is more than a support system for those who are studying far from home. It is also a celebration of religious diversity and actively inserts itself into campus affairs by putting on events which give students an opportunity to showcase their cultural traditions.
They meet frequently in the Bowld, participate in chapel presentations, put on bake sales outside Brewer Dining Hall and promote cultural events in Jackson, encouraging students to attend.
“Our organization is here to allow students of all kinds to showcase their skills and just be a celebration of diversity for God,” said Meah Hill, sophomore psychology major and vice president of MOSAIC.
Although MOSAIC caters to ethnic minorities, the organization welcomes anybody interested in joining. And while it looks back on heritage and culture, celebrating ancient tradition, it also looks forward in anticipation of a country that is becoming increasingly multicultural.
“This organization is incredibly significant to Union due to the lack of competency our nation displays on racial equality, especially if we are looking at the rising generation of America,” said Erin Crocker, junior teaching English as a second language major. “It is important to know that the majority of America will be the minorities in 50 years. MOSAIC is a picture of what is to come.”