GFU Multicultural Life

George Fox University’s (GFU) Multicultural Life is a branch of Associated Student Community (ASC) that many students have heard of but few students know much about. This ASC branch focuses on the cultural diversity that can be found in the school.

GFU has been increasingly drawing diverse students to its programs, and Multicultural Life gives the students a place to explore each other’s lives and hear their stories. The Vice President of Multicultural Life, Kevin Tshilombo, said that Multicultural Life is not “just for students of color,” but for all people who want to hear about their peers’ cultures.

Everyone has a culture in which they grew up, and hearing one another’s vastly different stories is beneficial. 

One part of Multicultural Life is “koinonia,” which is a Greek word loosely translating to fellowship. Koinonia is a meeting for students to learn together and have discussions. Tshilombo said that Koinonia is a time for people to “see how different they are,” but also to recognize that they can “live together.”

Multicultural Life promotes and fosters racial reconciliation, but that is not the main purpose of the group. The purpose is to present an opportunity to learn things that cannot be learned in a classroom. Students can learn about things that others have learned from experience, rather than reading a textbook. 

Multicultural Life is looking to expand its reach within the GFU community. In pursuit of helping students find a place to grow and learn, the branch of ASC would like for more students to know about Multicultural Life. 

Their most recent event involved Koinonia in association with the Asian Fusion club. The event focused on discussion, as well as highlighting Asian American culture. 

Multicultural Life and Koinonia are an important part of GFU life. They help students experience cultures with which they are unfamiliar, and bring us closer together as a community.

Reported by Claire Broling