Ethnic Programs & Services

UNT's commitment to cultural diversity

UNT is a leader among Texas universities in serving students of color. The university began enrolling African American undergraduates in 1956 — among the earliest of the traditionally white universities in the state to do so. The first Hispanic student enrolled at UNT in 1948. UNT today has 4,307 African American, 3,822 Hispanic/Latino, 1,649 Asian/Pacific Islander and 268 Native American students.

UNT has been named one of the nation's top 100 colleges for African American and Hispanic students.

UNT's international student population offers added cultural diversity. Students from 140 countries attend UNT as undergraduate or graduate students, bringing a rich variety of languages and customs to the campus.

Multicultural Center

The Multicultural Center, located in the University Union Room 216, was established to address the needs of the diverse campus population. The goal of the Multicultural Center is to be a place where people from the entire region could experience the university's cultural wealth. Its central purpose is to teach about different cultures by increasing student involvement and to enhance communication among diverse groups of students, faculty, staff and community. Programs and activities sponsored by the Multicultural Center are developed to increase awareness and understanding regarding the under-represented culture and history of people of African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American descent.

The Multicultural Center plans universitywide activities during Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Indian Heritage Month, Black History Month and Asian History Month, and it assists in the planning of Women's History Month and International Week as well as other cultural programs. The center also coordinates the Buddy System Peer Mentoring program, which pairs upperclassmen with incoming students to assist with the transition to UNT.

The Multicultural Center has established the Alton and Renay Scales Ethnic Studies Library, which maintains a collection of works relevant to the experiences of under-represented ethnic groups. These resources are available to all university students, faculty and staff for research or general information purposes.

For more information, contact the center at 940-565-3424.

Organizations for students of color

UNT has more than 300 student organizations, including many that celebrate students' cultural heritage. Some of these organizations provide students with a voice in student government in addition to acting as support groups for members and promoting intercultural awareness to all UNT students. These organizations include the Progressive Black Student Organization, the Association of Latin-American Students, the LULAC Youth Organization, the Asian Student Association, Bailamos and the NAACP.

Thirteen fraternities and sororities whose memberships are historically and predominantly Latino or African/African American have active chapters at UNT.

Delta Phi Omega Sorority Inc., Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority Inc., Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity Inc., Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity Inc., Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc. and Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority Inc. are predominantly Latino. These organizations fall under the umbrella organization known as Multicultural Council.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. are predominantly African/African American, as are Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Fraternities and sororities that are predominantly African/African American fall under an umbrella organization and ruling body known as the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Career organizations specifically for students of color include the Bilingual Education Student Organization, the Hispanic Business Student Association and the National Association of Black Journalists. Religious and spiritual organizations aimed at students of color include Followers of Christ United by His Spirit and Voices of Praise, a gospel group.

For more information on student organizations, contact the Student Activities Center at 940-565-3807.

Special programs

UNT's Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity offers numerous programs for students in elementary school up to the community college level. For more information on these programs, contact the office at 940-565-2711.