Elizabethtown College recently opened a new Center for Multicultural Affairs to serve as a campus hub for diversity, equity, and belonging. The Center, which is located on the second floor of the Baugher Student Center (BSC), aims to provide Etown students with a safe space for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration along with support networks and mentorship initiatives for students who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or as other historically marginalized identities.
“Our College is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and as our community grew and diversified, it became evident that a centralized hub was required to facilitate and amplify our efforts,” Elizabethtown College Director of Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) Darcey Mills said.
The Center for Multicultural Affairs will provide access to educational materials linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion along with trainings and workshops on cultural knowledge, bias awareness, and allyship.
“Our primary objective is to foster a warm and welcoming environment in which diversity is celebrated, equity is upheld, and a strong sense of belonging is fostered,” Mills said.
The Center will work closely with the Intercultural Diversity Board, made up of student organizations dedicated to promoting inclusivity and understanding both on campus and within the surrounding community. It will help develop and accomplish large-scale, student-led service projects, presentations, and community partner activities.
“I’m glad Etown now has a Center for Multicultural Affairs, as it provides a space for students of different backgrounds to come together and meet either to discuss future DEB events or just hang out,” Public Health major Samhar Almomani ’24 said. “It furthers the feeling of belonging on Etown’s campus.”
Almomani was formerly on the Intercultural Diversity Board as president of Etown’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and is an international student, Ubuntu mentor, and resident assistant (RA) in the Stonewall Living and Learning Community.
Creating the Center for Multicultural Affairs was a key initiative within the Campus Inclusion Committee’s (CIC) Operational Plan, which has been in process since 2021.
The Center will also oversee the College initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts including the Mosaic House, the Social Change Living and Learning Community, the Ubuntu Mentor program, and the Mosaic Scholar program.
Students can drop by the new Center for Multicultural Affairs, located in BSC 208, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
