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Multicultural Diversity
An understanding of and sensitivity to multicultural diversity issues are important for all financial aid professionals. EASFAA’s standing committee has provided numerous pre-conference events that were successful. There is always a need to provide training and information in this area to the entire membership.

GOALS

1. Sensitize and educate membership to diversity issues: range, scope, impact and importance.
2. Promote the increase for opportunities for participation by specific groups within EASFAA membership and the financial aid profession as a whole.
3. Learn from various constituents/sectors of opportunities, challenges, and rewards of understanding the upcoming changes in higher education.
   
   

ACTIONS

• Goal 1:
  1. Extend multicultural diversity pre-conference into regular conference activities.
  2. Incorporate tracks on specific segments/sectors within conference agenda.
  3. Promote EASFAA training on diversity issues.
  4. Expand the vocabulary of diversity in publications, documents and communications.
  5. Provide feature articles on diversity in the EASFAA Quarterly.
  6. At the conference, general session speakers/topics should reflect diversity educational needs.
  7. At the conference, offer follow-up sessions to general sessions on diversity issues to encourage dialogue.
• Goal 2:
  1. Request individual members in EASFAA region to identify ethnicity, school type, etc.
  2. Ensure council and committee participation by diverse members/groups (Consider NASFAA model of committee structure and selection process).
  3. Intensify mentoring activities for underrepresented groups - include committee and council members.
  4. Find ways to change EASFAA's image of a closed group.
  5. Find ways to integrate all EASFAA members at association activities.
• Goal 3:
  1. Develop an organizational climate that foster inclusiveness.
  2. Accept that "traditional" education has changed. Learn from participants how we can survive and thrive in a new era.
  3. Develop niches in training, conferences, etc. for specific populations, and offer activities in decentralized locations.

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