Multicultural Information Center

The Multicultural Information Center (MIC), formerly the Minority Information Center and part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, is an institutionalized organization established by student initiative at the University of Texas at Austin in 1988.
The MIC also provides underrepresented people financial aid and scholarship information, magazine, book, and video resource library on diversity issues, internship and permanent employment resources including a job listing binder and professional publications, and graduate school information.
Agencies
Afrikan-American Affairs
Afrikan-American Affairs (AAA) provides support, enrichment services, and leadership development to black students on campus, those in the greater black community, as well as anyone interested in black culture. It hosts events such as Afrikan American New Student Weekend, Black Student Leadership Institute, and Black Graduation.
Asian Desi Pacific Islander American Collective
The Asian Desi Pacific Islander American Collective (APAC), formerly the Asian American Affairs Agency,, fosters unity and provides leadership training. APAC hosts such events as the Asian American Leadership Institute, Asian American Heritage Week, and the Asian American Excellence Awards.
Latino Leadership Council
The Latino Leadership Council (LLC), formerly the Hispanic Affairs Agency, exists to unite and empower Latino students and 37 associated student organizations at through communication, leadership and education for the advancement of the Latin community. LLC hosts such events as the Latino Leadership Retreat, Sabado Gigante, and Bravo Awards.
Longhorn American Indian Council
The Longhorn American Indian Council (LAIC) provides an environment to discuss cultural issues and concerns, shares information about Native American cultural events, and advocates for more visibility and recognition of Native Americans on campus. The LAIC holds such events as a Welcome Dinner and a Film Festival.
Students for Equity and Diversity
The Students for Equity and Diversity (SED) represents the segment of the UT population for general furthering of social justice. SED hosts interactive workshops, peer-facilitated dialogue, programs, outreach efforts, and educational training events. Its mission is to provide leadership development, cultural understanding and social justice awareness to UT Austin.
Queer People of Color and Allies
The Queer People of Color and Allies (QPOCA) serves to unite and empower queer, colored and allied students with student organizations at the University of Texas at Austin through communication, leadership and education for the advancement of our community. Their mission is to contribute to the self empowerment and visibility of people of color, queers and their communities at UT. Events include Queer Prom and other queer-oriented events.
Former Agencies
International Affairs Agency
The International Affairs agency (IA) served as a resource for international students in making an easier transition from a foreign country and to enhance the experience at UT Austin. IA strives to address all concerns of international students, while building a cohesive community of international students.
Advocacy
The MIC advocates for passage of the DREAM Act, and hosted a Letter Writing and Call-In Campaign in support of it. The Multicultural Information center also protests major fast food chains for buying tomatoes supplied by businesses accused of abusing farm workers. According to then LLC member Jay Guevara, the employed farmers - mostly Mexican-American - work for a wage from these businesses that does not cover a standard cost of living. The MIC also advocates for a Multicultural Course requirement for all students. The MIC supports race-based admissions to universities. According to former director Brenda Burt, the policy is a good first step toward teaching people how to communicate, grow, and work together in a multicultural world.
Naturalization of Illegal Immigrant Students
The MIC supports the naturalization of illegal immigrant students who grew up in the United States, and rewarding them with in-state tuition rates because they have spent most of their lives in the Texas education system. In spring of 2005, there were more than 280 undocumented students enrolled at UT Austin, and that year saw a nearly ten-fold increase in illegal immigrant enrollment at Texas universities since 2001.
Complaints and Protests
Native American Halloween Costumes
In October of 2004, UT student spirit group Longhorn Hellraisers held a "Cowboys and Native Americans" party. The name of the party had originally been changed from "Cowboys and Indians" to be sensitive to multicultural groups, and featured men dressed as cowboys and females dressed as Native Americans. However, Multicultural Information Center employee and party attendant Monica Culver reported the event to the MIC, which then filed a formal complaint against the group. According to Culver, the event was offensive because "...Native American culture was an accessory to their party" and because the party "made light" of the history between cowboys and American Indians.
Racial Profiling, Under-Representation of Asian Americans
Incidents of racial profiling of Asians Americans were "numerous" in 2005 at the University of Texas at Austin, including harassment from administrators, physical assault, and "excessive and harsh treatment" by the University of Texas Policy Department, according to a report from APAC. The specific instances in the report included an administrator who "complained" about an Asian American's English-speaking ability, the assault of an Asian American student by two white men who were unable to be charged by UTPD, the stopping and poor treatment of an Asian American male by UTPD for "no identified reason", and the issuing of an arrest warrant for an Asian American male involved in a physical assault without contacting him first.
According to the same report, the Office of the Dean of Students in 2005 "failed to recognize Asian Americans as students of color" because they did not hire a mental health counselor of Asian descent and ignored Asian Americans who requested one be hired.
Airline Boarding Service
In September of 2002, Multicultural Information Center assistant director Mamta Motwani, an American Indian, registered an official complaint with Continental Airlines because of an alleged incident of racism at the boarding area of her recent flight. According to an article in The Daily Texan, Motwani reported that an attendant told her as she approached the boarding area that "we don't cut around here", despite there only being a general congregation of around 25-30 people around the area. Motawni wrote in her complaint, "I felt publicly humiliated and embarrassed by the manner in which the attendant patronizingly spoke to me," and was quoted in The Daily Texan as saying that she felt the attendant spoke as if she "...was not from here."
Her complaint was later responded to in an e-mail from Continental, stating Continental employees are required to go through diversity training and that the attendants should not have spoken they way she alleged. Motwani claimed the e-mail did not offer ways to remedy the alleged racism against her. The complaint was then investigated by Judy Brown, a customer service manager for Continental. According to Motwani, 25 people sent complaint e-mails to Continental Airlines on her behalf. In addition, Rusty Ince, then chair of the Senate of College Councils, distributed 300 copies of Motwani's complaint and Continental's response to UT students, including all University of Texas Senate of College Councils members.
Border Patrol Games
In March 2005, the Multicultural Information Center protested the Young Conservatives of Texas's "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day", originally to be held on Texas Independence Day. The game, already held on other campuses, involved “catching” other members of YCT posing as illegal immigrants and winning candy-bar prizes for the player's efforts. The MIC found out about the event by sending Latina student Emily Goodrum to pose as a member of YCT because "she looks white," according to Stephen Torres, then student director of the MIC.
According to Torres, "The YCTs weren’t planning to educate but rather to make a mockery of what immigrants face in this country." According to Goodrum's information, YCT planned on wearing brown and yellow T-shirts to represent Latino and Asian illegal immigrants to be captured in the game. The MIC then sent an e-mail out detailing these plans, and were able to organize hundreds of multicultural supporters to protest the event by holding up signs reading “Hate is not Activism" in multiple languages. The YCT canceled the game in anticipation of the protest. According to Irwin Tang of AsianWeek, the protest typified the drowning out out of contemporary policy debates by "...students arguing broadly about the rights and struggles of illegal and legal immigrants."

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