Student Affairs : MOSAIC : About Us : Philosophy

Philosophy

The programs offered by MOSAIC seek to achieve social justice by promoting and fostering understanding, interaction, and communication in an inclusive environment amongst the students of SJSU. By social justice, we mean that our programming seeks for full and equal participation of all groups in society. " Social justice includes a vision of society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure." (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 1997) MOSAIC is a center that facilitates an evolutionary journey for students' personal growth by learning about cultural and social differences. Our programs seek to acknowledge the importance of difference while at the same time, embrace these differences as characteristic of the larger global community that we all reside in.

We structure most of our programs based on cultural and ethnic events because groups such as African/African Americans, Chicana/Latino/Mexican Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, Native Americans, as well as multiethnic people have been historically marginalized. It is important to acknowledge the lack of resources and attention that these groups have had access to. Even though SJSU has achieved racial and cultural pluralism, these groups have been contending with a history of oppression and inequity. Our programming focuses on issues that not only concern race and ethnicity but also ability, sexual orientation, religion, age difference, etc. because of the rich experiences these groups can contribute in our attempt to appreciate difference.