“It’s a nice place to do homework, meet people and get involved in things outside of classes.”
– Camille Jenkins, a senior

In order to concentrate multicultural services, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Multicultural Student Center will be moving to Bolton Hall.

The move, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this semester, will be part of a larger move among multicultural offices, said Linda Huang, acting director of the center.

Joining the center in the move are the African American Student Academic Services, American Indian Student Services, Southeast Asian American Student Services and the Roberto Hernandez Center.

The multicultural center functions as a clearinghouse of multicultural-related information and services. By bringing the multicultural offices closer together, the move will foster better collaboration and coordination, as the MSC guides students to appropriate services, programs, activities and opportunities, Huang said.

The multicultural center also runs the Multicultural Student Lounge, located next to the computer lab in the Union. The lounge is open to all students and has proven to be more than just a comfortable oasis for Camille Jenkins, a senior at UWM.

“It’s a nice place to do homework, meet people and get involved in things outside of classes,” she said.

Star Christian, a freshman at UWM, started in the office in Mitchell Hall and currently works in the Multicultural Student Lounge.

From her vantage point, Christian said she sees the MSC breaking barriers between students just by getting them together.

“Sometimes students need something to start it off,” she said.

Once the ice is broken, the students learn from each other’s experiences. The deep, comfortable chairs and subdued lighting provide a low-key lounge atmosphere, but sometimes, Christian said, the conversation can turn to more serious matters.

Thursdays are usually busy days, she said, and last Thursday, the noontime conservation turned to whether the race classifications on campus are actually needed.

The MSC is a relatively new organization, formed after a review of academic support services found a need for the center. The current MSC staff came from existing resources in the Department of Multicultural Affairs.

The change to a more visible location was one of the recommendations from the committee that steered the formation of the MSC.

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