Programs & Services

<p>To the student who made extraordinary contributions to further the&nbsp; ideals of the AHANA (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native&nbsp; American) acronym, and who provided leadership to help the Boston College community actualize the AHANA concept. Awarded by the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.</p>

<h3>Asian Pacific American Heritage Month</h3> <p>The APAHM celebration at Boston College is dedicated to teaching every one that the APIs are not outsiders or “sojourners.” Further, their history in America should not be read as an “add-on” to American history. Instead, it is a large piece of American history. Without the APIs in United States, the America as we know it today will not be the same.</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn More</span></a><br> </p>

<p>Not excluding any other time of the year, February hones in on the opportunity to celebrate a rich and diverse culture, tradition, the history, and acknowledge the important contributions of black people. Black history month is an opportune time to educate the general public, to raise awareness about the unique challenges black people have faced both historically and in the present, and to celebrate how far we’ve come and where we are going.</p>

<h3>The Bowman Advocates for Inclusive Culture<br> </h3> <p>Bowman Advocates for Inclusive Culture are student leaders who strive to support and empower the undergraduate student body in building a more inclusive Boston College community through cross-cultural dialogue.</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/bowman-advocates-for-inclusive-culture.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn More</span></a><br> </p>

<h3>Community Advocacy and Research Engagement Program</h3> <p>This is a two-semester program that offers leadership, research, and public policy training for students interested in working with Latino, Asian American, Native American, and/or African and African Diaspora communities in Massachusetts. In the Fall, students will participate in a seminar to study the process of community-based research and its methodologies, and begin to design a research proposal for an&nbsp; independent study with a faculty advisor for the Spring semester research project.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/community-advocacy-and-research-engagement-program.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn More</span></a><br> </p>

<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">Hispanic Heritage Month</span></h3> <p>Hispanic Heritage Month officially begins on September 15,&nbsp; the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.</p> <p>The celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month educates both students and the community alike about Hispanic culture, language, and history. Boston College’s Hispanic Heritage Month events are free and open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and the greater Boston community.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Karen Campbell Severin CSOM '80</h3> <p>Each fall and spring semester, the Karen Campbell Severin Book Award helps students by providing them with assistance to obtain their textbooks. Please note this is not a cash award. &nbsp;Applications will be reviewed by a committee overseen by the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/karen-campbell-severin-book-award.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn More</span></a><br> </p>

<p>Lavender Graduation is a celebration that recognizes LGBTQ+ students of all backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions to the University. Graduating LGBTQ+ seniors and graduate students are recognized for their leadership, successes, and overall commitment and contributions to the LGTBQ+ community. Through such recognition, LGBTQ+ students may leave Boston College with a positive final experience, filling them with pride both in themselves, and in their college experiences.</p>

<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">About Native American Heritage Month</span></h3> <p>Native American Heritage Month is obesrved in the United States during the month of November.&nbsp; In 1990, President George Bush declared the first National American Indian Heritage Month on August 3rd.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accentuate Your Nursing Experience Through Community<br> <br> The Nursing Outreach is a program to support nursing students academically and socially by fostering mentorship.&nbsp;&nbsp;This creates a space for&nbsp;CSON students to gather for peer support and interactions with nursing professionals at least twice per semester.<br> </p>

<h3>Pride Peers</h3> <p>Pride Peers is a mentoring program that pairs LGBTQ+ first year students and new transfer students (or any student interested) with upper-class LGBTQ+ peers and creates spaces to bond and reflect on sexuality and gender identity.&nbsp;If you are interested in having a mentor, fill out this&nbsp;online form.&nbsp;We will start our full program in September but we are happy to connect incoming first year/transfer students to an upper class Mentor over the summer so that you already have a connection before you come to campus!Upper class LGBTQ+ students, if you are interested in becoming a mentor, fill out this&nbsp;online form.We will outreach to mentors over the summer and schedule interviews and training prior to the start of the fall semester.&nbsp;</p> <p>If you have any questions please email: <a href="mailto:ira.kirschner@bc.edu">ira.kirschner@bc.edu</a></p>

<p>Prism is a group for all LGBTQ+ and questioning students. Facilitated by queer and trans graduate students. Starting Fall 2023; Date, time, and location TBD.<br> <br> Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:spectrum@bc.edu">spectrum@bc.edu</a>&nbsp;with questions.<br> </p>

<p>QBIPOC is a discussion group for queer, Black, Indigenous, and people of color providing support, discussion, and community. Facilitated by QBIPOC graduate students. Starting Fall 2023; Date, time, and location TBD.</p> <p>Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:spectrum@bc.edu">spectrum@bc.edu</a>&nbsp;with questions.<br> </p>

<p><br> Racial Identity Development Experience (RIDE)</p> <h3>What is the RIDE?</h3> <p>The Racial Identity Development Experience (R.I.D.E), a weekend retreat that provides a safe space for undergraduate students to consider and discuss experiences of race and identity. On this retreat, participants will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, reflect on their own personal experiences, and learn from other students.</p> <p>The impact of the RIDE cannot be overstated, and is probably best expressed by past R.I.D.E participants. In post-evaluation surveys, participants have described the retreat as “an amazing, formative experience that taught me how far I have come and how far I have to go,” “a life-changing experience” “I finally feel like I belong,” “surpassed my expectations because I learned so much more than I ever could have anticipated,” and “the highlight of my BC career so far!”</p> <h3>How can you help students learn more about the RIDE?</h3> <p>Invite us to pitch the retreat to your classroom or&nbsp; organization! We can keep our pitch as succinct as 1 minute or as detailed as 5 minutes, and allow time for question &amp; answer.Share our flyer and program description with your listservs! Nominate students you know to lead or attend this retreat! To nominate a student, email bowmancenter@bc.edu.</p> <p>We will follow up with the student to let them know about the nomination and give them all of the information they need to know to apply and/or register.</p> <p>For professors only: Offer extra credit for students who attend the retreat! If you identify with the mission of our office and/or the R.I.D.E retreat, or if the program may enhance your student’s learning experience inside the classroom, consider incentivizing the retreat with extra credit. If you do, please let us know so that we can confirm your students’ participation with you!</p> <p><br> Learning Outcomes</p> <p>As a result of participating in the RIDE, students will be able to:</p> <p>Recognize how they have been socialized to see race and identify areas where<br> racial differences have been reinforced&nbsp;</p> <p>Articulate awareness of own racial identity and express why</p> <p>Demonstrate comfort-ability talking about race and identityDevelop one way to discuss racial identity in the future</p>

<p>Following Commencement ceremonies, the BAIC hosts a toast to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors with food and company!<br> </p>

<h3>Spectrum Retreat</h3> <p>Spectrum is a confidential, free weekend away for LGBTQ students. In this welcoming environment, participants will be encouraged to engage in conversation and reflection about their personal identities and to discern who they are and who they are called to be at Boston College and beyond.</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/spectrum-retreat.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn More</span></a><br> </p>

<p>Transcend is a group for trans, nonbinary, agender, and genderfluid students as well as students who want a space to talk about exploring their gender identity. Starting Fall 2023; Date, time, and location TBD.</p> <p>Facilitated by nonbinary and trans graduate students. Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:spectrum@bc.edu">spectrum@bc.edu</a>&nbsp;with questions.</p>

<h3>Tuition Reimbursement Programs<br> </h3> <p>The purpose of the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center (BAIC) Tuition Reimbursement programs is to aid in the retention of students by providing resources to support those experiencing academic difficulty the opportunity to improve their status at Boston College.</p> <p><a href="/content/bc-web/offices/studentaffairs/sites/ahana/programs-services/tuition-reimbursement-programs.html"><span class="btn btn-default btn-maroon">Learn more</span></a><br> </p>