CWU is set to begin development of the long-proposed Multicultural Center (MCC), according to a Sept. 30 email from Mal Stewman, director of the Diversity & Equity Center and Verónica Gómez-Vilchis, Associate Vice President of Equity and Belonging. Officials project work on the MCC to be completed by Jan. 2026, with some spaces to be available for use in the fall of 2025.
According to their email, the new expansion of the Diversity & Equity Center (DEC) will cost $6 million which will be funded by the Washington State Legislature. Design of the MCC will be spearheaded by Opsis Architecture, the same group who were CWU’s design partner for the in-development North Academic Complex. The project manager is Joanne Hillemann, with the project’s status currently listed as “Design Phase – Construction Design.”
“The need for a future Multicultural Center on the CWU campus is important to students and to the university,” Project Manager Lauren Loosveldt said in a piece written by Hillemann on CWU.com. “We are excited to work alongside students and faculty to define the future vision for this space as the ‘home away from home’ students are seeking. We look forward to creating a design that captures a sense of belonging and welcomes current and future Wildcats to campus.”
According to the project timeline on the Black Hall renovation tab on CWU.com, the project is currently in the “MCC Design” stage, which lasts from March 2024 to Dec. 2024. According to the post on CWU.com written by Hillemann, the design and construction document portion of development is “nearly complete.”
Next will be the “MCC Permitting” stage, which will last from Nov. 2024 to Dec. 2025. Finally, “MCC Construction” will take place from Feb. 2025 to Dec. 2025, with plans for the MCC to be open by the following month.
Amenities in the proposed MCC include “multiple meeting and gathering spaces, a kitchen for meals for student gatherings, staff offices, and a reflection room.” With these additions, the size of the MCC will reportedly nearly double the size of the current DEC. Student government officials and members of the student-body were consulted on their thoughts regarding these additions.
According to their email, updates on the progress of the MCC will be available via video updates, Central Today, the CWU website and regular updates on social media. A larger update on the MCC will be made at The Capital Planning and Projects Forum town hall on Wednesday Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. in Discovery Hall 103. The Observer will be providing ongoing coverage of the construction of the MCC.
