MultiCultural Center to Move to New Home in the University Union

By: Jenna Brown on Feb 20, 2018 in Campus News

During the early part of the 2018–19 academic year, the Cross Cultural Centers’ (CCC) MultiCultural Center (MCC) will be relocated to the former Cal Poly Rose Float office on the first floor of the Julian A. McPhee University Union. The MCC and ASI Student Government began talks in 2017 following a recommendation from the University Union Advisory Board (UUAB) to relocate closer to their current Rose Float Lab in Building 82. “Allocating additional space for the CCC has been on the radar of ASI Student Government since the UU Referendum in 2017, where it was identified as a priority for students,” Kaelan Sobouti, chair of the UUAB and biomedical engineering senior, said.

“From the beginning, the project was intended to meet the requests of CCC students while moving our UU and Cal Poly further into our goals as a campus,” Dani Diele, vice chair of the UUAB and agricultural business junior, said. “After the completion of this project, our hope is that both intentions will be exceeded. This space will create a home for students and will create a larger footprint for the MCC in our campus climate.”

In the spring of 2017, the UUAB unanimously voted to recommend ASI collaborate with Dean of Students’ staff to form an advisory council consisting of a diverse group of students and staff members. The council discussed the intention and purpose of the space, and organized focus groups with students and staff to gather input. Following a review of the feedback, the council recommended that the former Rose Float office should serve as the new home of the MCC initiatives.

“It was important for ASI to ensure every step of the process involved student feedback,” Donna Seo, UUAB member and biological sciences junior, said. “Students from the CCC and the UUAB provided input to staff to really make the new MCC an amazing place for current and future students to enjoy, study, lounge, cook, and gather.”

The top priorities decided by the advisory council included a prep kitchen to prepare cultural cuisine, a study space with modular furniture and dedicated power sources, and a lounge area with multimedia technology. The MCC will showcase artwork representative of the students who will use the space to assist in creating a welcoming and vibrant design aimed to cultivate a sense of community. The current MCC space on the second floor of the UU will continue to house CCC programs at the direction of the Dean of Students.

“The physical changes taking place for the MCC have been under discussion since last year, and it is exciting to witness the product of our collaborative efforts,” Francisco Gaspar, MCC student assistant and sociology and ethnic studies junior, said. “Ultimately, one of the central missions of the CCC is to foster a sense of community and belonging for students who are underrepresented on campus. Expanding our spaces is one way to bring more visibility to these issues, but it is definitely not the end of the conversation. I hope to witness more institutional change transpire during my time here, and I hope that more students feel empowered to utilize our spaces and attend our programming in the future.”

For more information, contact UUAB Chair Kaelan Sobouti at chairofuuab@calpoly.edu.

Architectural rendering of the new MultiCultural Center featuring gray and red chairs, tables, and a large window

Architectural rendering of the new MultiCultural Center by Omni Design Group, Inc.


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