Decades of student activism have brought Michigan State University its first free-standing Multicultural Center. The building officially opens Friday.
Lee June has been a part of MSU’s faculty and the school’s administration for more than 50 years. He says over the course of his tenure, students of color have been calling for a place where they could feel a sense of belonging.
“The students had been pushing for years that we should have a multicultural center,” he said. “It was student voices who kept saying, ‘Other institutions in the Big Ten and throughout the nation have these kinds of centers.’”
The school finally got its first multicultural center in 1999, though it was located in the basement of the union. So, June says students kept advocating for a building of their own.
In 2019, the Black Student Alliance, the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES) and the Council of Progressive Students (COPS) led a sit-in at the Hannah Administration Building demanding the school address their concerns, which included the lack of a freestanding center. Former President Samuel Stanley Jr. then created a steering committee to study the feasibility of the request.
In 2021, the Board of Trustees approved the project, and construction started in 2023.
It's very, very, very important to us and students on campus, especially in this current political climate, we are seeing attacks on things that bring people together and promote inclusion, promote diversity.Elena Sweeney, MSU Student
MSU sophomore Elena Sweeney is the Vice President of Culturas de las Razas Unidas. The organization is a part of CORES.
“It's very, very, very important to us and students on campus, especially in this current political climate, we are seeing attacks on things that bring people together and promote inclusion, promote diversity,” Sweeney said.
“I just want to stress the importance of it, and I hope that MSU continues to commit themselves to listening to multicultural students.”
The new building includes two multi-purpose rooms for events, and a large space for students to gather, as well as conference rooms. Center director Samuel Saldivar says it also has spaces for personal reflection and meditation.
“That's one of the primary goals that we have is for this space to be a catalyst for student engagement, community building but also offer academic and wellness resources as well,” he said.
The Multicultural Center will host a grand opening celebration Friday afternoon.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.