More than 150 students convened Wednesday night to express their dissatisfaction with the impending merger of the Multicultural Center and the International House.
In response to the announcement of the merger earlier this week, the Center for Race Relations organized an emergency meeting to provide a forum for student reaction.
“We had no input as students,” said senior Aileen Joa, a member of the Mi Gente Counsel Board. “The bigger issue here is the fear. Duke students should be alarmed.... You too can be swept under the rug.”
Zoila Airall, assistant vice president for student affairs, announced initial plans for the new combined Global Cultures Center—as it is currently being called—Monday night in a meeting with the Council of Cultural Group Presidents. The initiative comes as part of the University’s efforts to cut $125 million from its budget over three years. Li-Chen Chin, current director of the International House, will lead the new center.
Two staff positions will be eliminated in the process. Julian Sanchez, current director of the Multicultural Center, and Staff Specialist Juanita Johnson were notified Monday that they will be laid off by Jan. 11.
“In integrating, it’s not about doing away with the programs we have,” Airall said in an interview before the forum. “The thing that’s missing is bringing our domestic and American students together and finding ways to do that through programs on the co-curricular side.”
Airall was on hand at Wednesday night’s forum to answer student questions.
Freshman Aleatha Terrell said she may not have come to Duke had the merger taken place prior to her enrollment.
“This makes me consider transferring,” Terrell said. “It’s almost like saying if you’re white, you’re American and everybody else, you’re a global culture. I feel like the University is undermining my presence.”
Similarly, international students said they were concerned their needs would not be addressed with the new Center.
“How will the International House [staff] and a much smaller Multicultural Center staff provide all resources the International House provides and the Multicultural Center provides,” said senior Alexis Rosenblum, president of the International Association. “International House’s resources are really important for international students at Duke who don’t have the same resources of American students.”
Airall said the decision had been in the works for several months and was not prompted solely by budgetary concerns. She added that she believes the merger will facilitate communication between the two organizations, and stressed that funds allocated to specific programs would not be reduced.
“Merging the centers together is not saying that identity across cultures doesn’t happen,” Airall said. “We still need safe places for that to occur.”
Several attendees, however, were not satisfied with Airall’s responses.
“I cannot fathom how this idea became a decision,” said senior Abby Tinsley, former co-director of Common Ground, an immersion retreat program organized by the CRR. “ I feel patronized and I feel silenced.... I still have not heard a satisfactory answer to any of our questions.”
Although Sanchez and Johnson did not attend the meeting, many students emphasized the importance of their roles at the MCC.
Senior Sadie in The Woods, a member of the Native American Student Alliance, came to Duke from an American Indian reservation. She said Sanchez formed a vital part of her college experience and eased the transition from one of the poorest regions in the country.
“Coming to Duke was like being thrown into an Olympic swimming race without knowing how to swim,” in The Woods said. “[Sanchez] gave me my floaters and taught me to swim like hell.” Neither of the laid-off employees had been notified prior to Monday morning.
“I’m one of those people that accepts change,” Johnson said. “The part I have a problem with is the way it was all handled. Why was no communication made to us to prepare us for this?” Airall declined to comment about the layoffs, citing “legal and ethical” reasons.
Chin, who will assume her new position Jan. 11, said she looks forward to collaborating with students from the MCC and the International House.
“I believe the merger is a great opportunity for the International House and the MCC to come together as one entity to better prepare Duke students for the 21st century,” she said in an interview prior to the event. Chin did not attend the event.
Freshman Nichole Ogojiaku, however, compared the merger to combining the Center for LGBT Life with the Women’s Center.
“The merging of these two groups makes no sense,” Ogojiaku said. “The name global cultures —what does that have to do with [the MCC]? We’re American born. There’s nothing global about us.” A committee of six students from the Council of Cultural Group Presidents and the staff of the new center will work together in setting goals and drawing plans for the Global Cultures Center, Airall said. The new center will be located in Smith Warehouse and is projected to open April 2.
“This will be a team who is operating together. I care about you more than you know.... Look at me,” said Airall, who is black.
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