A new center at the University of Delaware provides a space for students to interact around social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The second floor of Perkins Student Center is home to the new Center for Intercultural Engagement, with offices for seven student organizations for minority students including LGBTQ+, first-generation, and Latinx. It also includes a food pantry and a clothing co-op with free business attire and gender-affirming clothing.
Dyhia Hammadi is President of We’re First, a student organization for first-generation college students.
“We’re able to actually have a space to interact with other first-gen students and other clubs in the CIE," Hammadi says. "And I feel like having the space to do that makes a huge difference.”
We’re First VP Jada Lawrence says groups like theirs serve a vital purpose
“When it's hard to find your community and your people, college becomes dreadful,” Lawrence says.
The Center’s Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion Rachel Garcia says students have been advocating for a space like this for years.
“Students stay places because they can be themselves and they can find spaces that say ‘we know you’re here and we acknowledge you’re here,'" Garcia says. "And we want you here, you belong here, UD is for you too.”
Garcia adds that students’ sense of belonging also impacts their academics.
University President Dennis Assanis says the center is a melting pot – a new way for students from all backgrounds to make connections with each other and come together on social justice issues.
“This is an environment where you live and learn, and you grow together, and you basically experience learning with each other and from each other," Assanis says. "And that’s why the Intercultural Center is such a critical element, such a catalyst in making this happen.”
