The MultiCultural Center (MCC) unofficially opened Feb. 13 in their new location downstairs in the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU).
The space is currently only open to the Cross Cultural Center (CCC) staff (Pride Center, MultiCultural Center and Gender Equity Center), but will open up to the public sometime in April, according to MCC graduate assistant Kevin Joseph. A soft opening will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the MCC’s Talk About It Tuesday event.
MCC staff and ASI leaders began talks in 2017 after the University Union Advisory Board (UUAB) recommended the relocation of the Cal Poly Rose Float office in the University Union closer to their lab space in Building 50L. An advisory council made up of a diverse group of students and staff to was formed to gather input on the needs of the space. The council concluded that the former Rose Float space should become the new MCC.
The MCC’s new home was originally scheduled to open in Fall 2018. The office opening was then pushed back to the beginning of Winter 2019 and then again to Feb. 22 — but it is still not open to the public.
According to Joseph, the grand opening is still in the works, but they plan to open during the second week of April 2019 after PolyCultural Weekend.
The MCC unofficially opened first to the CCC staff to give them time to adjust to the space and make any last minute changes before it becomes a space shared with the public, according to PolyCultural Weekend Coordinator Tim Guerzon.
“I literally got here an hour ago and I couldn’t stop smiling,” Guerzon said. “The first 10 seconds I was so mesmerized.”
Moving into a bigger space will allow the MCC to host larger events and provide more service to interested students, according to Joseph.
“I feel like it’s going to have more recognition in terms of where we are on campus and what other events and other resources we have yearlong, so that’s one really big step to how we are recognized on this campus,” Guerzon said.
The new MCC features a living room, workspaces, a meeting table, and a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave for students and staff to use.
“We couldn’t be more excited to open a new space for the MultiCultural Center that mirrors the robust diversity, beauty, and culture that our students bring to Cal Poly,” lead coordinator of multicultural initiatives Beya Montero-Makekau said.