By Tate Luckey —
On October 22nd, the University of Louisville reopened its new Cultural and Equity Center inside the new Belknap Residence Hall. The upgraded facility features the Cultural Center, LGBT Center, Women’s Center, and various study/multipurpose rooms for students of all backgrounds.
This reopening comes after the University was recognized for the 8th year as a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award recipient, joining other universities like Clemson and Florida State. “Now that we have a whole building, and there are banners and flags all over it, we’ll get a lot more attention. I think it does help U of L become a more diverse campus,” junior Agustina Cisterna said.
Ashton Beckham, Porter scholar and finance major, felt similarly but thinks that the university can do a bit more. “I do think U of L is diverse, but I wish [the university] put more effort into enrolling black students in honors-level courses,” he said. “[The new space] is definitely better than the space in Strickler.”
-
- One of the many banners outside the cultural center
-
- “Upon This Rock” by Hannah L Drake
-
- One of the many multipurpose rooms in the Cultural and Equity Center
-
- One of the many multipurpose rooms and kitchenin the Cultural and Equity Center
-
- One of the many multipurpose rooms in the Cultural and Equity Center
-
- The new location of the Cultural and Equity Center, adjacent to Miller Hall
-
- President Bendapudi and the Cultural and Equity Center Staff
The new center provides a more centralized location for the various diversity departments around campus. “It’s a really modern space that offers many helpful resources. Students of color now have easier access to the Parrish LLC, which is very convenient,” Beckham said.
In an interview with U of L News, President Neeli Bendapudi said that the center represents one of many major efforts the university has made in striving to become anti-racist and more inclusive to the entire Cardinal community.
If you’d like to learn more about the space and programs it offers, you can do so here.
File Photos // Facebook, The Louisville Cardinal
