Frequently asked questions

The multicultural center FAQs provides information on the project and building operations and how community stakeholders have been engaged.
  • Project FAQs

    Q1: What have been the key project milestones?

    Key project milestones include:

     

    Q2: How are students involved in the project?

    The Multicultural Center, or MCC, building has been designed specifically for the students and stakeholders of Michigan State University. MSU students have been critical participants throughout the project from committee members to shaping the design.

    The project included multiple student representatives and recently graduated alums in the feasibility study and steering committees. Over 60 student ambassadors have been engaged in the design process through eight public engagement sessions. Regular communications were maintained with email notifications, in-person meetings, Teams group chats and direct outreach at various programs and the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions. Additionally, student feedback helped drive and inform updating the project’s history. Finally, students and recently graduated alums were actively engaged in the groundbreaking ceremony on April 21, 2023, and have continued to be involved. Please take a look at questions three and four for more details.

     

    Q3: How are students engaged in the design process?

    Beginning in spring 2022, SmithGroup, the design firm, hosted community engagement sessions throughout the design process. The sessions were widely promoted through various platforms, as well as through direct community outreach and include considerations on cultural practices, religious needs, accessibility and more. Culturally specific questions and concerns are being addressed by engaging members of student and stakeholder community groups. Students have been actively engaged in:

    • Visioning
    • Layout and space needs
    • Furniture design
    • Art and signage

     

    Q4: Where can I access the engagement sessions?

    The sessions cover a range of design and planning aspects of the building and are listed on the MCC’s meeting minutes and the timeline. Sessions were held on the following dates:

    *Engagement sessions receiving input on floor plans. Click on link to view.

     

    Q5: Will there be an opportunity to tour the building?

    Yes, student walk-throughs are planned for January 2024. Updates will be shared with stakeholder groups.

     

    Q6: What will the building function as?

    Student written 5 pillars (source feasibility report):

    1. Education
    2. Community
    3. Healing
    4. Intersectionality
    5. Advocacy and activism

     

    Student written purpose (source feasibility report):

    1. To increase retention rates of marginalized students.
    2. To create a safe space for all students to build relations with other students outside of individual communities and explore the intersections of their identity while furthering intersectional dialogue.
    3. To provide the resources students of marginalized backgrounds need to succeed at MSU.
    4. To increase cultural competence as related to Integrative Studies in Social Science and Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities courses and MSU’s global education.
    5. To have a healing space for students to de-stress and access the mental health services they need, focusing on services geared toward the issues that students of marginalized backgrounds face.
    6. To provide a free and functional meeting space for students of the CORES and COPS organizations to collaborate with one another.
    7. To provide a cost-free space for RSOs, CORES and COPS to showcase multicultural talent.
    8. To aid in the creation of educational equity for students on Michigan State’s campus.
    9. To provide a space for students to organize, advocate, grow and build solidarity with each other.

     

    Building functions (source SmithGroup FAQs):

    • A community center: A space for people of all ages and backgrounds to gather, socialize and participate in events and activities.
    • A cultural center: A space for people to learn about and experience the cultures and traditions of different ethnic groups represented at MSU.
    • A resource center: A space for people to access information, resources, and support related to mental, physical and emotional well-being.
    • A meeting place: A space for community organizations and groups to hold meetings, events and workshops.
    • A language and education center: A space for people to learn new languages and receive educational support.
    • A performing arts center: A space for people to enjoy performances and events related to music, dance, theater and other forms of cultural expression.

     

    Q7: Where can I find additional information on the construction project?

    For more information, including viewing the live camera and fly-through video, visit the MCC construction page.

  • Operations FAQs

    Q1: How will the operations of the building be determined?

    Currently, the university is undergoing preparations for determining the day-to-day operation of the building. More information will be shared throughout the year leading up to the opening next fall. Director Samuel Saldivar in the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions, or OCAT, and Associate Director of Residence Hall Services Charles Stephens in Residence Education and Housing Services, are chairing a committee to establish policies and procedures.

     

    Q2: What groups will be in the building?

    In the coming months, Student Life and Engagement, or SLE, leadership will enter discussions on how to best meet the community's needs and manage the building operations, including staffing, hours and other considerations. Recommendations are forthcoming in the spring 2024 semester and will involve student input. The Council of Racial and Ethnic Students, or CORES, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council will have offices in the building. In addition, OCAT will be in the building.

     

    Q3: How will this building function differently than other spaces? 

    The Multicultural Center, like the Union, Student Services or International Center, is a public space building on MSU’s campus. It must adhere to the same policies that govern the others. It is, however, unique in that, according to the feasibility report, the MCC is a facility whose mission is student-written and whose purpose is to “create a space for students of historically oppressed backgrounds to learn and grow together along with the resources they need to succeed and graduate from a predominantly white institution.”

     

    Q4: Why do CORES and COPS organizations have free access to the building? 

    The feasibility report notes that the building was designed to foster collaboration for Registered Student Organizations, including CORES and Council of Progressive Students, or COPS, groups, which historically include variations of communities that have advocated for the building through the decades.

    Specifically, the MCC serves “to create a safe space for all students to build relations with other students outside of individual communities and explore the intersections of other identity while furthering intersectional dialogue.” To meet the desired outcome of intersectionality, the building will support student groups who lack dedicated spaces for regular meetings, as well as foster collaboration within those very same organizations as well as CORES and COPS groups.

     

    Q5: Why isn’t the community kitchen a cooking kitchen? 

    Installing a commercial kitchen would require meeting industrial codes to ensure safety and was found to be cost-prohibitive. Findings indicate that a community kitchen allows for a more flexible gathering space to eat and host catering services. The second-floor kitchen includes refrigerators, cabinets for storage, microwaves, etc. In addition, there will be a catering kitchen on the first floor with a refrigerator, power outlets, sink, etc.

     

    Q6: How will spaces be reserved? 

    Room reservations and business hours are within the scope of the policies and procedures committee and will be vetted and presented in spring 2024 through a recommendation report to SLE Leadership.

     

    Q7: Will there be scheduled classes in this building? 

    The MCC is dedicated to student life use; the construction does not meet classroom requirements for hosting regularly scheduled classes. However, the building can be utilized for hosting guest lectures and presentations.

For additional questions, email inclusion@msu.edu. 

Project Background