In the Hands of Students: The Charge of a Minority-Serving Institution Student Council at a Dual-Designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and Hispanic-Serving Institution
Abstract
The U.S. News and World Report has ranked the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) as being one of the most racially diverse institutions, and UNLV has received dual-designations as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and Hispanic-Serving Institution. Concurrently, pervasive physical threats, student demands for change, and results of a campus climate survey created a peremptory need to center the cultural wealth of minoritized students to organize and coalition build. This essay focuses on the UNLV Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Student Council (MSISC) and its charge to lead campus initiatives that promote success for minoritized students to become a truly serving MSI. Written by one of the MSISC members and their advisor, we historicize the MSISC’s creation and share ideas for similar MSI-focused student committees and task forces.