EMU’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers resources to underrepresented students across campus.
Established in 2017, the goal of the office is to “support and empower students from marginalized communities, provide intentional learning experiences, and challenge systems and structures that perpetuate inequities” according to the website.
Seven years after the office’s establishment, there are three resource centers offered to marginalized students; the Center of Race and Ethnicity, or CORE, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Resource Center, or LGBTRC, and the Women's Resource Center, or WRC.
Located on the third floor of the student center, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion centers provide resources, host events, and address grievances to help underrepresented student communities feel supported, welcomed, and seen on campus.
Center of Race and Ethnicity
CORE “cultivates and models a safe, inclusive, socially just environment for all members of the Eastern Michigan community,” according to the website.
CORE provides students with resources like scholarships, a digital library, and potential funding for student organization events, said CORE graduate assistant Donna Avina.
“We also offer training to different campus units about things like microaggressions or micro affirmations and ways to build community intentionally,” said CORE program coordinator Sariah Metcalfe.
Avina works in the CORE office from Monday to Thursday, and hopes that students know that they can visit the office anytime, she said.
“We just want students to know that we are open and available to them,” Avina said.
CORE is also responsible for the university’s Multicultural Graduation Celebration, which “acknowledges the achievements of graduating students of color; domestic and international students at EMU” according to the website.
“That’s really what CORE is about,” Avina said. “Giving room to communities who may not be the best represented on campus,”
Other notable CORE events include the Student of Color Welcome Celebration, Heritage Month Programs, and Women of Color Symposium.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Resource Center
The goal of the LGBTRC is to “increase students’ sense of belonging and contribute to a culture of equity through programming, advocacy, and education,” according to the website.
The center was first staffed in 1994 as an organic collaboration between Student Affairs staff members and faculty members who saw the need for specific and intentional services and resources for queer students, said the LGBTRC program coordinator, Emma Wuetrich in an email.
The LGBTRC collaborates with other campus entities, engages in group dialogues, and maintains a presence in campus spaces, according to Wuetrich.
“Our tangible resources include the organization of free HIV/STI testing on-campus, a gender-affirming clothing closet, a binder/bra exchange, and an offering of social and educational events,” Wuetrich said.
The center also helps LGBTQ+ students navigate their campus experience by providing support with things like name changes, pronoun updates, and advice.
Notable events from the center include BBQueer, Out on the Lawn, Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil, Pride Prom, and the Lavender Graduation.
Women's Resource Center
The WRC makes a commitment to “recognizing and celebrating the diverse representations of women on campus, encouraging and supporting their personal growth, academic enrichment, and professional development, offering advocacy and referral services, and providing educational programming and resources to help women reach their full potential” according to the website.
The center was established in 1990 by the feminist women’s organization Womyn space, and initially operated as a small student organization providing resources and advocacy for women on campus. Since then, it has grown into a fully staffed center with professional and student employees, offering a supportive space with services and programs for women, according to the website.
WRC strives to provide a safe space for women to go on campus. The space and events are open to trans and cis women; women of color; (dis)abled women; and women of any faith, socioeconomic status, body type, age, national origin, and sexual orientation, according to the WRC mission statement.
“We recognize and celebrate the diverse representation of all women on campus,” WRC Program Coordinator Kimberly Ferrell said.
WRC provides students with resources like pamphlets, books, articles, video materials, tampons, pads, condoms, pregnancy tests, and scholarships.
The center also offers internship, mentorship, and leadership opportunities for students, Ferrell said.
Upcoming WRC events include a Safety and Security Conference, a Human Trafficking Workshop, and Celebrating Women in Arts, Music, and Education, according to Ferrell.
