All are welcome here

There were a lot of smiles and cheers from Wright State University students as the new Cultural and Identity Center space was officially opened in the Student Union on August 30.

“When we think about diversity and inclusion, we don’t think about it tucked away,” said Wright State President Sue Edwards, Ph.D.

The center is located in 023 Student Union, a highly visible location across from WWSU 106.9 FM, the student-run radio station.

“More people can come in and start to get comfortable with something they necessarily didn’t know how to identify with before,” said Kacey O’Harra, a Wright State alumna who attended the opening.

The space houses six identity centers: the Asian and Native American Center, Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center, Latino Center, LGBTQA Center, Women’s Center and the newly formed Disability and Neurodivergence Cultural Center.

Rebekah Wyse, a Wright State alumna and former president of the Abilities Student Organization, was instrumental in the idea to create the Disability and Neurodivergence Cultural Center.

“I’m just proud that Wright State was able to provide this space for us,” Wyse said.

Over 1,000 students with a disability or neurodivergence attend Wright State. Wright State is one of only two universities in Ohio with a cultural and identity center space for students with disabilities and one of only 18 colleges in the country.