The Trotter Multicultural Center at the University of Michigan has a new $10 million home on the Ann Arbor campus.
The university says that the 20,000-square-foot facility showcases the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is designed to be a gathering space where students, faculty, staff and alumni have the opportunity to engage in dialogue and conversation around topics such as cultural identity, race, gender, and multiculturalism.
The center began as Trotter House in 1971 when African American students united under the Black Action Movement to help students who experienced obstacles at school. The former Trotter facility had 11,000 square feet of space and had housed the multicultural center since 1972.
Julio Cardona, director of the Trotter Multicultural Center, says the location of the Trotter Multicultural Center on State Street in Ann Arbor makes it a prominent spot on campus that is easily accessible to students. It includes lounges, a multipurpose room, meeting rooms, reflection rooms, quiet study space and student organization space.
The center serves students of many cultural identities and is dedicated to celebrating and fostering the university's diversity in a way that is inclusive and more visible.
In addition to services and programs that were housed at the previous location, ithe Trotter Center now includes a multipurpose room for up to 300 people for banquets or conferences, and an active-learning, classroom-style configuration for 100 students.
