As campus transitions back to normal, Men of Color Alliance (MOCA) is looking to grow their member base with some fun activities. The MOCA is a student-run organization focused on uniting men of color to confront the issues that face communities of color at UNLV.
Led by club president Nour Benjelloun, MOCA has a full slate for the upcoming semester.
At the top of his list, Benjelloun is excited to start the year off with a workshop to discuss Toxic Masculinity featuring Sonia Dhaliwal and Tanya Crabb from UNLV’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The talk will be open for anyone who wants to attend and will be held on Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Student Union room 207.
Benjelloun is excited to organize this year’s club as he takes on former president Joshue Rosales’ position.
“Joshue has been very helpful by helping me take over as the club president,” Benjelloun said, “He is my predecessor as club president so having him advise me has been great.”
Every year MOCA plans a road trip for the club to go camping and hiking as a group. This year Benjelloun is planning a trip to Big Bear, California which is open to all members of the club.
Benjelloun is also looking to get the club more involved on campus. They have already collaborated with the Women of Color Coalition (WOCC) and are looking to get involved with the Spectrum club and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) to get more students involved around campus.
“The money we have comes from the students who live in the residence halls, so we need to use what we have to benefit them,” Benjelloun explained.
So far MOCA has a full docket for the rest of the semester in collaboration with the RHA.
“I’m hoping to have a mixer with them [RHA] for on campus students,” Benjelloun said, “One other thing is hopefully having a holiday themed party in December for on campus residents, and one other plan was a Friendsgiving in November.”
Rosales pushed MOCA to become what they are today. He spoke on the impact that MOCA had on him and what he thinks MOCA can do for others.
“I felt like I really belonged, Rosales said. “I really had a home and I had a sense of family, a sense of brotherhood among the club. Sharing those moments with people is really what made me see how awesome MOCA really is.”To keep up with all the MOCA updates be sure to follow the club on Instagram @unlvmoca and sign up for the club at involvementcenter.unlv.edu.