The Michigan State University campus is home to a diverse community of Spartans with students from all 50 states and over 140 countries. MSU has opened three new spaces in the heart of campus that celebrate cultural exchange, community building and advocacy. These include updated areas in the MSU Union, the new Multicultural Center and the International Student Association headquarters. 

Beyond the First Floor 
For Kimberly Steed-Page, MSU has always been about support and community. From the moment she arrived from Texas as a grad student, she experienced the Spartan Spirit firsthand. When Steed-Page’s flight was delayed, a University Village staff member stayed late to personally deliver her apartment key. This was the first example of Spartans going above and beyond for others. Now, as the director of the Student Parent and Caregiver Resource Center, she has carried the same philosophy into her work for the past 24 years, going above and beyond to ensure students feel supported. 

Steed-Page hopes the new spaces at the MSU Union will amplify student voices and involvement. She wants students to see these offices as resources, places where they can ask questions, feel seen and trust that their concerns be taken seriously. The team members in these spaces are committed to students’ success, providing the support they need to reach graduation.                                                                                                                

The MSU Union is home to the newly remodeled Council of Advocacy for Marginalized Students space on the fourth floor. This collaborative space centers student advocacy and is open to all identities. It is filled with meeting rooms, sensory rooms and areas for student advocacy groups to connect and collaborate. 

The second and third floors contain new and improved offices. Moving over from the Student Services Building, the Student Parent and Caregiver Resource Center can now be found on the east side of the MSU Union’s third floor. 

Additionally, the MOSAIC: The Multicultural Unity Center space on the second floor has been reimagined as the MOSAIC Center for Education and Outreach. This center will integrate three key units focused on education, justice and identity: Women and Gender Equity, Global Justice Education and Outreach, and Religious, Spiritual and Secular Identities. These spaces are focused on outreach, education, gender equity and fostering a more inclusive campus culture.

“I’m really proud to work at MSU and this particular area because we are able to offer support to students and feel like they belong here,” says Steed-Page. “We exist for the students, so the work we do has to be done with students to learn about their needs. Students are centered in all the work that we do.”

Belonging in JSU
Tyler Pohl, vice president of external affairs for the Jewish Student Union has seen firsthand how these spaces impact his peers. Pohl began his advocacy work through the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students and CAMS, working to build unity among different student groups. He believes these new spaces will support these efforts. 

Pohl grew up attending Jewish religious school in Pennsylvania, went through confirmation and spent summers at Jewish camp. These experiences deepened his connection to his faith and community. He later became a camp counselor and Sunday school teacher, continuing his commitment to fostering Jewish community. 

Pohl joined JSU to connect more with the Jewish community at MSU. Through JSU, he met some of his closest friends and continues to invite others to events because of its welcoming environment.  

“As an out of state student, JSU is a safe space for me,” says Pohl. “It gave me the extra community and resources I was looking for as an out-of-state student. I found my sense of belonging here.” 

Welcome to the MCC 
The Multicultural Center officially opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony – a pivotal moment Spartans have been advocating for over half a century, beginning during the Civil Rights Movement. The power of the student body brought the MCC to life. The space was designed with students at the forefront from the architecture to the technology and atmosphere of the building. It is the largest MCC in the Big 10, thanks to the persistence of students, support from faculty and staff and the vision for a more inclusive campus. 

The MCC is equipped with a full communal kitchen, TV, vending machines, prayer, meditating and nursing rooms, multipurpose rooms, student organization council rooms and a reservable stairway and hoteling spaces open to student organizations and departments. The open, airy, modern space is filled with accessible state of the art technology, whiteboards, chairs and cozy lighting to create an inviting environment. The MCC is also home to a ceremonial fire circle, seating area and amphitheater created to honor the Indigenous Great Lakes tribes.

ShirDonna Lawrence, director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at MSU, contributed to the planning and building of the MCC. Lawrence believes the MCC serves as a space for people from all walks of life to come together, learn and grow from each other. The building is the beginning of campus-wide collaboration, allowing students to engage with each other no matter where they are. It serves as a center that acknowledges historically underrepresented identities and provides student organizations with dedicated space to gather, collaborate and be seen.  

“It’s a first step in thinking about how we can all work together to create community and operate as a whole,” says Lawrence. “Everyone needs to be in the space for it to work.”

ISA Space for All
The International Center officially became home to the first-ever headquarters of the International Students Association. This is a momentous step toward fostering a more inclusive and connected campus for international students at MSU.

Located on the lower level across from the Spartan Bookstore, the ISA headquarters offers a welcoming and dynamic space designed with international student engagement in mind, while fostering cross-cultural connection and collaboration. Designed with flexible furniture and dedicated offices, the space encourages connection between domestic and international Spartans. 

The development of the ISA headquarters began in the spring of 2022. Persistent advocacy efforts by leaders from ISA, Student Life & Engagement and International Studies and Programs (ISP) turned this vision into a reality. What started as a student-led initiative has blossomed into a space that ISA, ISP and SLE are proud of, continuing their journey to fostering a more inclusive campus community.

Krista Beatty McCallum, director of the Office for International Students and Scholars has supported MSU’s international student community for the past six years. Some of the most rewarding experiences for McCallum involve witnessing student leaders bring their ideas to life, from small-scale initiatives to large, transformative projects like the ISA headquarters. The pride and success students feel when returning to campus five to ten years later is a reminder of their impact and contributions to the MSU community. 

“This is a big school, coming from another country can be overwhelming,” says McCallum. “Knowing there is an office staffed and managed by international students is a great resource. It’s a place where students with shared experiences can connect, reflect and better understand their own experiences.”  

While the ISA headquarters is designed with international students in mind, it’s not exclusive to international students. McCallum hopes International students will see the ISA headquarters as their space on campus and a fun space to bring everyone together and hang out. 

Express Your Identity
These new spaces are about more than having a space together, they represent a commitment to making every student feel seen, valued and supported. MSU’s investment and development of these locations is a reflection of the dedication to fostering a diverse environment for all students to thrive in. The opening of these centers is a step in the right direction, where every student is empowered to succeed, not despite but because of their unique backgrounds. 

“Having dedicated spaces for communities is even larger than MSU, America should provide those spaces. Home of the free and land of the brave, brave to express your identity,” said Pohl. 

Learn more about the heart of campus here.

Author: Olivia Williams