|
Tamera Cox
|
One new face
around MSUCOM hopes to bring in more new faces.
Tamera Cox, the new minority recruiter at
MSUCOM, will be using her skills to attract students to the college and to
help form a more diverse climate at the school.
Recruiting skills are something Ms. Cox
has in abundance. Before entering this post, she worked at Starr
Commonwealth Battle Creek Offices, which deals with at-risk and foster
care youth. While there, Ms. Cox was responsible for recruiting
individuals to enter the foster care system, as well as acting as a
counselor for those in foster care. |
Ms. Cox’s training as a counselor began her
involvement with diversity issues. "I was heavily involved in diversity and
cultural sensitivity issues at Starr," said Ms. Cox. "The idea of
counseling on diversity issues heavily appealed to me."
Ms. Cox began pursuing her masters in social
work at Western Michigan University, then left Starr Commonwealth to fill the
minority recruiter position. Ms. Cox soon found her skills as a counselor would
come in useful at MSUCOM in dealing with diversity issues.
Ms. Cox’s plan to attract and retain
underrepresented minority students at MSUCOM includes three areas. First, she
will deal with recruitment of students at MSUCOM. "I’m going to college
and university groups as well as community groups, churches, and career
fairs," said Ms. Cox. "I’m offering them an opportunity to make an
informed decision on where they want to go, especially in terms of an allopathic
or an osteopathic medical school."
Second, Ms. Cox will deal with the admission of
students by providing application counseling.
The third area Ms. Cox will focus on deals with
the retention of students.
As a member of the retention committee, she will
keep track of how students are doing, especially in terms of academic
performance. "One of the things I want students to understand is that they
are the top priority to us," she said.
Ms. Cox will be working to shape MSUCOM’s
student population to provide a more representative view of racial and ethnic
populations. "Presently we do not represent society," said Ms. Cox.
"Part of the problem is the level of understanding about osteopathic
medicine, and this is reflective of our society as a whole."
Ms. Cox will be using her past experiences to
help in her position. "I bring a sense of desire and training where
cultural sensitivity is concerned," said Ms. Cox. "I’m very eager to
help educate the students, faculty, and staff here at MSUCOM."
Right now Ms. Cox’s time is spent equally
between helping enrolled students and helping those who wish to apply to the
college. Her position also includes community outreach, and Ms. Cox has been to
several colleges in Michigan, including Western Michigan University, the Lansing
Public Schools, Lansing Community College and others. She has also worked with
Michigan State University undergraduate students and Mount Clemens General
Hospital.
Ms. Cox advocates that students work to
celebrate the diversity around them. "Everyone needs to realize the
importance of cultural sensitivity. As time goes on, that will be more and more
important," she said.
