The International House and the Center for Multicultural Affairs will merge into one organization in the coming months as part of the University’s efforts to reduce costs.
Zoila Airall, assistant vice president for student affairs, announced preliminary plans for the new Global Cultures Center—as it is tentatively being called—Monday evening in a meeting with the Council of Cultural Group Presidents.
Two staff positions will be eliminated in the merger—Julian Sanchez, current director of the Center of Multicultural Affairs, and Juanita Johnson, a staff specialist, have both been dismissed. Li Chen-Chin, who has been the director of the International House for a year, will take the helm of the new center.
“The programs and services that are already happening are not going to stop, they are going to continue,” Airall said. “But I think we have to think of creative ways to bring some of those programs together.”
She added that she hopes the new center will fit more cohesively into the University’s vision of an international education, bringing together domestic students from multicultural backgrounds and international students.
Many student leaders who work closely with the Multicultural Center and the International House said they were concerned about how a single body would accomplish the distinct missions of both centers with a smaller staff.
“From my understanding, the [Multicultural Center] focuses on minorities in the United States and helps facilitate interaction between cultural groups on campus, whereas the International House serves international students and works with them on a more individual level,” said Asian Students Association President Michelle Fang, a senior. “With the merger, two different populations with very different needs are being forced to share the same niche.”
International Association President Alexis Rosenblum, a senior, said she was particularly worried about what the merger would mean for international students, who are reliant on the resources provided by the International House.
“The International House, at its inception, was meant to be a home away from home and a place people felt comfortable going. I just hope that in having to do these other things, that comfortable feeling isn’t lost,” she said. “It remains to be seen how this will work out in reality instead of the nebulous plan they have right now.”
A steering committee of six students from the Council of Cultural Group Presidents and the staff of the new center will work on articulating the vision of the Global Cultures Center in the coming weeks, Airall said. She noted that no decisions have been made regarding where the new center will be located.
Student leaders said they were not included in the decision-making process about the merger.
“It probably would have been nice if we had been consulted on this before but they made the decision that they needed to,” said Duke Hillel President Scott Gorlick, a junior.
Others, however, said they were optimistic about the potential of the new center.
“There will be one central location for students to engage in cultural programming,” said Mi Gente co-President Catalina Blanco, a senior.
The merger comes as part of a broader effort within the Office of Student Affairs to streamline services and cut staff in line with the University’s goal of cutting $125 million from its annual budget.
“We are fortunate that our planning efforts over the past two years have enabled us to consider changes that address our financial obligations while maintaining and even enhancing our services,” Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta wrote in an e-mail to student affairs staff.
Residence Life and Housing Services will also undergo reorganization within the academic year and reduce its staff, Airall said.
Lindsey Rupp contributed to this story.
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