Division of Student Services

Multicultural Center update

Ribbon cutting set for Homecoming Weekend

Multicultural Center photoStaff and volunteers from Casa Latina Cultural Center, Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, International Friendship Club and the Women’s Center had a busy summer relocating to the new Multicultural Center. The official grand opening and ceremonial ribbon cutting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16.

The moves began in mid-June, with contractors, Physical Plant personnel, and others working in and around the building throughout the summer. The new furniture was delivered and installed the end of July.

“Although the Multicultural Center was not open to the public until just before classes began in late August, the directors and office managers were still available to meet with members of the campus community,” said Women’s Center Director Janine Cavicchia ‘87. “Our Resource Library books and audio/visual materials were shelved within a week of our initial move and available to be checked out throughout the process.”

Attracting and retaining a diverse campus community requires having a nurturing and supportive institutional culture, and the recent construction of the Multicultural Center has demonstrated Western’s commitment to those goals, Cavicchia said. The center will provide a strengthened opportunity for the recruitment and integration into the campus community of African American, Latino, international, female and other underrepresented students, faculty and staff.

“Students, alumni and other members of the campus community who have been in the Multicultural Center have been effusive in their praise of the new facility,” Cavicchia said. “Several alumni have commented that the University should be extremely proud not only of the building itself, but also of the commitment to multiculturalism and diversity that it represents.”

All three cultural centers within the new building held their annual open houses in August.

“We look forward to hearing from and seeing our alumni, so please let us know any time you’re planning to visit campus,” Cavicchia said.

Photo caption: The 14,000-square-foot facility is now open after nearly two years of construction.

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