UF’s Department of Multicultural Diversity and Affairs will be relocating to the Reitz Union next Fall.
Once construction is completed, the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, Institute of Black Culture, LGBT Affairs and Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs will move into the Reitz.
Student ambassadors working for the diverse groups will have more opportunity to work intimately, LB Hannahs, director of LGBT Affairs said.
“It’s going to allow us to be more creative and build a better and stronger community,” Hannahs said.
The LGBT Affairs and Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs offices are both located in Peabody Hall, Ian Randall, a senior ambassador for LGBT Affairs, said.
“It gets really crowded when we have three ambassadors from basically every area, so that’s nine ambassadors fitting in this one work room, and working can be difficult,” Randall, a 21-year-old linguistics senior, said. “By having the space in the Reitz, it’ll be more open and more available.”
The Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures and the Institute of Black Culture will keep their houses located on West University Avenue.
“It’s a little scary to be honest,” Olivia Garcia, Director of the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, said. “We’re so used to being on this side of campus. I think it means we’re going to reach a different kind of student or students who might not ever make it over University.”
Some students like Adrian Jimenez, a 19-year-old marketing and economics sophomore, are concerned about the move.
“I very much cherish the fact that we’re away from campus and that we’re an actual house,” Jimenez said. “I feel that the Reitz Union is very busy and that takes away that home feeling.”
But, Jimenez said, he can see the benefit of having the departments closer together.
“The Reitz is the center of campus and having all of MCDA together there means that students will be exposed to diversity all the time,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 11/18/2014]
