Center for Diversity and Inclusion officially launches Sept. 11

The grand opening for Ripon College’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the lower level of Bartlett Hall.

“Students, staff and administration have teamed together to make sure the new center is a safe space where students will find community building and congregation with peers of like or shared experience based on their cultural identity,” says Kyonna A. Withers, director of multicultural affairs. “It also is a place where saliency in one’s identify is respected and cross-cultural dialogue is encouraged.”

The idea for the center was conceived and brought to fruition by Withers and leadership from Ripon’s Multicultural Coalition, comprising members from the five multicultural serving organizations: the Black Student Union, La Unida, RC Feminists, Queer Straight Alliance and Cultural Diversity Club.

Programming will engage the broader campus and serve as a point of contact to increase understanding of diversity and inclusivity. Examples include the coffee and conversations series, student organization exec board meetings, late-night programming, Movie Mondays, International Peace Day on Sept 21 and various campus events reserved through the Multicultural Coalition or other student groups.

“More than anything, the center will serve as a place where anyone on campus can relax, find social connections and challenge those who visit to become more inclusive in their everyday walk as Ripon College students and global citizens,” Withers says.

The center is equipped with the Jerry Thompson Study Room, lounge space, cable TV, a DVD player, intern work space and the office of the director of multicultural affairs.