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Multicultural services
Colleges and universities are becoming more culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse. Multicultural services on-campus are intended to support students, student affairs professionals and faculty in higher education.

History
The relationship between students and post-secondary institutions changed in the 1960s relative to the colonial era where the doctrine of in loco parentis was common . According to Patton (2006) after many social movements took place at institutions, minority students began to demand spaces of their own. In response, colleges saw student affairs professionals adopting new roles which involved conflict resolution, communication, and social justice. The 1960s were a time of quickly trying to welcome the new diversity on campuses, at times reluctantly, as women were still not admitted at majority of institutions. The 1980s saw an increased diversification of students due to following policies and compliance. Finally in the 1990s, institutions began truly working on how to support their new demographic of students. The 2000s onward saw an increased diversity of students in every way, including race, gender, sexuality, and online education, shaping a new demographic of students and subsequently, needs and interests.

Function
Multicultural student services aim to support students who are traditionally underrepresented at post-secondary institutions. Staff who work in this area aim to foster a campus culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all students. The term multicultural generally is a universal and inclusive definition that incorporates race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, disability, as well as other differences. In practice, these are coordinating events of cultural heritage and expression, uniting students to community resources, and helping marginalized students find success on campus. Commonly at institutions, you will see programs that support identities like, African American, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian Pacific Islanders. Larger institutions might have decentralized services where its own office and programs serve each group of underrepresented students. For example, women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are sometimes included in multicultural student services functional areas but may be served by others.