For the past several years, the benefits of having a cross-cultural center were questioned by some administration on this campus, including President Emeritus Jim Doti, who said it would never happen while he was in office. President Daniele Struppa immediately began working on the Cross-Cultural Center and Argyros Forum 304 has been open since February. Was this a good decision? Have there been positive results? My answer is absolutely.

Since the center has been open, I’ve been spending most of my spare time there. It’s a quiet and tranquil space inside the study and meeting rooms that are themed after different diverse identities. I feel completely comfortable inside that space, and I’ve noticed that other students feel the same way. It’s nice to see familiar faces of people of color on this campus, and it’s nice to meet new and unfamiliar faces who feel so comfortable that they come back. Having a space that has become such a communal gathering place has strengthened bonds with many different types of students.

The kinds of conversations that have happened around me are intimate and personal to the experiences of minority groups on this campus. Because these conversations are constantly happening, I’m often being exposed to perspectives beyond my experiences. These aren’t the kind of things you’d hear passing by a group of students in the Student Union or in the Attallah Piazza. Because of Chapman’s dominant identities, it can be difficult to have those conversations in spaces that don’t offer the same comfort level that a space that is designed to foster that kind of discussion does.

I think for many students, including myself, it can be difficult to get out of our own bubbles and stay engaged in what’s going on in our local, national and international communities

There are a plethora of Black girls that have gone missing in Washington, D.C. Flint, Michigan, still doesn’t have clean water. Most recently, Vice President Mike Pence was the tie-breaking vote that allowed for states to take funding away from Planned Parenthood.

It’s difficult for me to live in a world like this. I often feel that it’s easier to desensitize myself to all of it. The Cross-Cultural Center has given me a space where I want to have these difficult conversations. When something really upsets me, there’s a space to feel angered. When there’s something I don’t understand, there’s something to be learned. However, there is also just a space to feel affirmed and recognized as a part of this campus. I’m grateful for all the people who have been an essential part of making this vision come to life.