ALANA

Many of the concepts discussed under "Cross-Cultural Advising" could be applied to students from the United States whose cultural and ethnic backgrounds differ from the current "majority" student population. At Mount Holyoke these students of African-American, Latina, Asian-American, and Native American origins are referred to collectively as ALANA students. There is tremendous diversity among these students which means advisors must, as with all advisees, consider each ALANA student as an individual, and not make assumptions based on ethnicity, race, or culture.

Pressure Points for ALANA Students
Even though many first year ALANA students are delighted to join the Mount Holyoke community, they often become aware of the distinguishing characteristics of their surroundings by the second semester. This is when a student may come to realize she is isolated in a small town in western Massachusetts, deep in the Pioneer Valley, and far away from her family, home town, and friends. In many instances she experiences a culture shock similar to that of an international student.

Like many of her peers, she may have been raised in the United States, attended a predominantly white high school, traveled abroad, and had a host of culturally enlightening experiences. However, the reality of being in South Hadley, far from home, often becomes unsettling.

While it is true that, for a variety of reasons, many first-year students experience a similar sense of disorientation, more often than not, the ALANA student's astonishment comes from the experience of living daily in an environment in which her race and culture are under-represented.

It is important to recognize that her feelings of isolation are not contrived, but real, and this sense of isolation creates pressure points that can affect other areas of her college experience.

An ALANA student may experience the following:

• being the only one of very few students of color in her residence hall, classes, or co-curricular group;
  
• being expected to educate others about her culture or ethnic group whether she chooses to or not;
  
• being viewed an affirmative action candidate, rather than a student who was admitted because of her talents and academic abilities;
• being advised against a major based on the assumption that, because of her race, ethnic, cultural and/or language differences she will not succeed in the discipline;
• having others view membership within ALANA group organizations as a rejection of the other cultures at Mount Holyoke, rather than an affirmation of the ALANA student’s customs and practices;
• having the mask of political correctness be the veil that covers one’s ability to be honest, direct, and "in-your face" about racism;
• meeting the presumption that all or only ALANA students come from urban areas
• being bi-racial and forced to identify within a race that is not inclusive of both parents;
• having people assume that she is on financial aid--even when she is not;
• being advised based on her weaknesses rather than her strengths.

The Role of advisors
An advisor’s first priority with an ALANA student, as with any other, is to help her navigate the various systems at Mount Holyoke. As a foundation for further growth, consider the following basic "Rules of Cultural Diversity" offered by Dr. Barbara Coulibaly, a specialist in multicultural education.

• Treat people as individuals
• Give people respect: treat them with dignity
• Learn cultural generalities: expect deviation from the rule
• Take risks; ask questions
• Aapologize when mistaken; ask for clarification
• See differences
• Improve communication by listening well