• Our Mission Statement
• How We Address Hate and Bias on Campus
• The 2012-13 MAAB Members
• Our 2012-13 Goals

MAAB Mission Statement

The Multicultural Affairs Advisory Board (MAAB) is a non-hierarchical, transparent organization, composed of Columbia College, General Studies, and School of Engineering and Applied Science students, working towards a more respectful, accountable, and socially just campus environment. In partnership with students, student organizations, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, we strive to continue creating a university community in which students of all identities are supported, valued, and celebrated. We seek:

• To be an accessible and visible resource for the entire student community
• To keep the University accountable and responsive to students and their concerns
• To provide avenues for the administration to better understand student concerns
• To hold ourselves accountable to students and be open to critique and challenge
• To actively address bias and hate in the Columbia community
• To provide and promote safe spaces for challenging dialogue about all students’ experiences and concerns related to identity
• To better enable varying communities to connect, collaborate, and  recognize common ground
• To ally with and support students in marginalized communities
• To support and connect with groups whose missions include anti-oppression education and awareness
• To recognize students’ simultaneous connections to multiple communities on campus

We commit to the above to better enable the Office of Multicultural Affairs to fulfill its stated mission. (Created September 2012)

Addressing Hate and Bias on Campus

The MAAB takes a definitive stance against all acts of hate and bias at Columbia University. We work with the Bias Response Team (a team of deans across Student Affairs that administer the bias response protocol) and students to address such acts on campus. While the BRT provides immediate support to individudals and communities that may be impacted by an incident and coordinates administrative response, the MAAB works with them and other relevant University groups to create or recommend programs addressing greater campus education that may be needed and to inform and support the larger community when appropriate.

Every month, the BRT will provide the MAAB with a compilation report of incidents that includes:
            -number of incidents
            -identities/communities targeted
            -nature/medium of each
To respect the confidentiality and sensitivity needed in supporting students when an incident occurs, the MAAB members have decided that the form of the compilation report will enable them to gauge what is happening on campus and what campus education may be needed without compromising the safety and experiences of those directly involved.

Additionally, the MAAB will serve as a resource for students by:
            -informing students of the bias response protocol
            -making referrals and connecting students to campus support services
            (ex. OMA)
            -initiating relevant campus campaigns
            -providing feedback on the protocol to the BRT
            -recommending or creating programs and events (with the support of
            the OMA) that may be needed as informed by the monthly compilation
            reports

2012-2013 MAAB Members

All board members can be reach at maab@columbia.edu. 

2012-2013 Goals of the MAAB  

The 2012-13 MAAB has created the following set of goals for this academic year. For each, we will be creating specific objectives, such as campus campaigns and outreach plans, to meet our goals.
            -To become a visible resource on campus
            -To support and promote relevant student initiatives
            -To be accessible
            -To better connect students to existing relevant campus resources
            -To better connect students to relevant NYC resources
            -To collaboratively address bias and hate on campus in a timely manner
            -To address/outreach to general areas of campus in need of relevant
            education
            -To work toward reducing/eliminating bias incidents by addressing
            systemic underpinning with proactive education