Reception to welcome students of color to campus

The 28th annual Multicultural Orientation Reception (MCOR) will welcome new and continuing students of color back to the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Friday, Sept. 4, at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.

The event, sponsored by the Multicultural Student Center (MSC), will begin at 6 p.m. in the Wisconsin Union Theater and end at 12:30 a.m. in the Great Hall.

“We hold this reception every year to acclimate our incoming students of color and to reconnect our returning students of color with academic resources and to the institution as a whole,” says Gia Mason, MCOR chair.

The reception is free and open to the public.

The event will kick off at 6 p.m. in the Union Theater lobby with an Academic and Support Service Resource Fair, where students can receive information on support services on campus and meet affiliated staff.

At 7 p.m., a Multicultural Performance Showcase will take place in the Wisconsin Union Theater. Students will perform skits, dances and music. Highlights include a spoken-word performance by First Wave students, and salsa and cha-cha dancing from Madtown Ballroom.

The reception will move to the Great Hall at 9 p.m. for a Multicultural Student Organization Fair, where students can socialize with students from various multicultural student organizations and network with affiliated faculty and staff.

The event concludes with a dance at 10:30 p.m. in the Great Hall with DJ Jarius King, hosted by diversity coordinators from the Division of University Housing.

“We feel that MCOR is important because it encompasses different aspects of the university,” Mason says. “We highlight academics, we highlight performances and cultural diversity, and we also highlight the importance of being involved.”

MSC provides academic and cultural resources and co-curricular activities for students of color. Mason notes that all students, regardless of race, are welcome at MCOR and MSC.