Opinion | Happy birthday to the CCC

Gracie Fleischman, Opinions Editor

Located on the third floor of Argyros Forum, down a bright little hallway covered in “I am Chapman” photos and illustrations of famous activists, lies my favorite place on campus.

I first heard rumors about the Cross-Cultural Center on my first day at Chapman. I was there for a pre-orientation program called Emerging Leaders that taught me about diversity and inclusion. Leti Romo led the “I am Chapman” track and opened my eyes to the truth behind the university I had just arrived at.

Romo would become the assistant director of the Cross-Cultural Center, but at that time, in the fall of 2016, the center was merely a dream. A year later on Monday, Feb. 26, the center celebrated the one-year anniversary of its opening.

In 2005, then-President Jim Doti said that a multicultural center would “ghettoize” Chapman. He later repeated this sentiment in a 2011 court deposition, vowing that no such center would open while he was president of the university.

Doti defended his statements in a guest column for The Panther in 2014 by giving his definition of the word “ghetto”, leaving out the racial aspect of the word. He claimed that he “did not want multicultural thoughts and ideas to be centered in a designated place.”

It is obvious that Doti’s comment was racist. There’s no way around it. You cannot use the word ghetto without starting a discussion about racism. Chapman has always been a mostly white school with large conservative donors, which was reflected in Doti’s approach to being president. To me, his comment that a center would ghettoize Chapman means that it would attract more people of color to the university, making it less prestigious.

Despite Doti’s comments, Argyros Forum 304 officially became the Cross-Cultural Center thanks to immense student efforts and support from student government, Dean of Students Jerry Price and President Daniele Struppa.

I am lucky enough to work as a desk assistant in the Cross-Cultural Center alongside some inspiring people. Students and staff are fiercely dedicated to making the space inclusive and accepting of any student at Chapman, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

At Chapman, I fit in. As a middle class, white cisgender woman, I don’t really need a safe space on campus. But, nothing has made me happier than to work at the Cross-Cultural Center and step foot into that beautiful center with its friendly, smiling faces.

This special place has allowed me to become a strong ally for people in communities other than my own. No matter if it’s a busy finals week or if it’s a quiet Thursday night around 9 p.m., I can see and feel the impact of the Cross-Cultural Center.

Whether I’m helping people find the perfect study room, directing them to the latest cool event in the lobby, or just being there to discuss social activism and the state of the university, it matters. It matters for minority groups at our university to have a place where they feel comfortable and welcome. It matters to have a place on campus dedicated to hosting events centered around diversity and inclusion.

Many years after Doti’s comments, our one-year-old Cross-Cultural Center is thriving. We have far to go, but it’s safe to say that it has improved our school immensely.