The Multi-Cultural Center opened its newly-renovated doors to the Sacramento State community on Oct. 14, hoping to present a new direction and image for the center.

Charlene Martinez, director of the Multi-Cultural Center, said the changes to the center are in response to student demonstrations two years ago.

“Students were calling for a new environment and new direction,” Martinez said. “The wheels started turning, and pivotal changes happened quickly after I was hired.”

The center has faced challenges through the renovation process. Martinez is the only full-time employee of the center. The bulk of the labor was done by volunteers and interns. Martinez said the volunteers work up to eight hours a week for the center.

“We want to create an atmosphere of warmth for the community,” Martinez said.

David Gutierrez, a senior journalism major and facilities intern for the center, said the center has established a mission through the process of the renovations.

The goal of the Multi-Cultural Center is to encourage diversity and cultural understanding on campus. The center is involved in many campus activities to encourage students to learn about themselves as well as others.

“The center was a blank slate when I got here,” Gutierrez said. “It is coming to life now.”

Martinez said the center is a place of diversity and inclusion at Sac State.

“We want people to not be afraid of diversity,” Martinez said. “Getting people to experience the center is the first step.”

The center is located next to Java City in the Library breezeway. The center increased its size by taking over space once used by the Women’s Resource Center. The Woman’s Resource Center has moved to Lassen Hall.

Renovations include new paint and furniture, artwork and refurbished computers. The artwork, donated by volunteers of the center, follows the theme “How do You Define Home?” Each piece features a short essay describing how the artist relates the image to their home.

Natchee Blu Barnd, lecturer of ethnic studies at Sac State, coordinated the art.

“The goal is to create a sense of home,” Barnd said. “It is a relaxed environment, not stressful like in class.”

Some of the pictures are straight-forward images of home, others are more abstract, Barnd said.

“The sense of home is something everyone can understand,” Barnd said. “Home is a concept that everyone can reach.”

Curtis Cherry, special projects intern for the center, displayed a photograph of a basketball hoop.

“Sports has always provided me with a welcoming space that allowed me to express myself and to feel at ease.”

Maribel Rosendo-Servin displayed a picture of her grandmother’s house in Guanajuato, Mexico. She said the image reminds her of family and laughter.

LaTavia Gossett, a senior criminal justice major, said the center has been helpful with several events for Black Fall Welcome. The center helped organize a faculty and student mixer as well as a club and organization mixer.

“The center is a good place to study. It is a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere,” Gossett said. “It is a great place to find out about the diverse things happening on campus, and the center gives students exposure to other cultures.”

“One of the big challenges has been to not only have an idea, but find the practical steps to achieve the idea,” Gutierrez said.

One of the center’s ideas is a mural to decorate one of its walls. The mural, titled “Evolutionary Transition,” will represent various cultures and identities. Using color and texture, the center hopes to challenge visitors to confront concepts of interconnected social issues, histories and identities.

Bland said getting students involved lets them feel empowered.

Sac State provided the computers used by the center. The computers are refurbished, which helped to save money on the project. Martinez said no new electronics were provided to the center.

“We have a fax machine that is 15 years old,” Martinez said.

Martinez said the Multi-Cultural Center website is still under construction.

The Multi-Cultural Center released its first newsletter this semester, titled “MCC Quarterly.” The newsletter is written and produced by the volunteers and interns of the center.

Sarah Couch, representative for undeclared students for Associated Students, Inc., said she liked the open-minded environment of the center.

“There is a vitality that is excellent here,” said Couch. She said part of the ASI strategic plan is to coordinate with the student centers on campus.

In addition to live music, the center held a Q&A Bingo game at the reopening ceremony. The object of the game was to answer a series of questions by asking other people at the event about themselves.

Monica Barba, a junior sociology major and the diversity peer educator for the center, said the idea for Q&A Bingo came from other events on campus.

“It is a great way to bring people together,” Barba said. “People who don’t know each other get together and work as a team.”

The prize was one of several Multi-Cultural Center t-shirts. Barba said these shirts are in high demand on campus right now. The shirts feature the new Multi-Cultural Center logo.

The Multi-Cultural Center intends to continue working with students and faculty to advance cultural understanding and diversity over the next semester. The new updates to the center will help to accomplish that goal by providing a modern workspace.

Derek Fleming can be reached at [email protected]