The second floor of the Olin Library was a bit louder than usual on Tuesday afternoon as the Center for Diversity and Inclusion officially welcomed Washington University community members for its grand opening.

The newly furnished space was overflowing as administrators, faculty members, students and St. Louis community members gathered for opening remarks.

Students and faculty sign the wall at the grand opening of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion on Tuesday. The center is located on the second floor of Olin Library.

Many administrators and faculty members noted their excitement for the space, which was open but not yet complete at the start of the year. However, some attendees felt the space on the second floor of OIin did not match the needs of the center.

The event was opened by Provost Holden Thorp, who said that he felt the center would be vital to the University and its purpose.

“There are two reasons I work in higher education,” Thorp said. “Higher education in the history of this country has been the greatest source of opportunity and economic advancement. It’s not always that, but if you look over the last 100 years, it certainly has been. We have to be very vigilant that we don’t lose that. The second is that it’s the best place to produce original ideas that help solve complex problems. This center is aimed squarely at both of those priorities.”

Vice Chancellor for Students Sharon Stahl said that the center has already been a space for students to have dialogue about issues of diversity and inclusion, citing a recent meeting between college-age students from Ferguson and several Washington University students.

LaTanya Buck, new director for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, expressed her excitement for the opening and for what the center will be able to accomplish.

“The center was created to serve as advocacy support for historically marginalized and underrepresented student populations here within the Washington University community. The center is also designed to work collaboratively with units within and outside of the Washington University community for the promotion of dialogue and social change,” Buck said.

Christine Dolan, LGBT coordinator for Student Involvement and Leadership, said that they are excited to see how the center will interact with other diversity student groups. Dolan mentioned that they had already connected several of the LGBT groups with the center but wants to see how other students will use the space.

“That’s the thing I’m most excited about…seeing how they’re going to add to the staff and what that’ll look like and how students will continue to find a home here,” Dolan said.

Junior Empris Durden, however, was hesitant to praise the space. As someone who served on one of the center’s advisory committees last year, Durden said that she thought the center would be placed in its own separate building.

“The current location on the second floor of Olin library should be a temporary space. In two years, the University should be planning a permanent building. A building would demonstrate the University’s permanent commitment to diversity. I recommend asking alumni for donations, as I’m sure they’re excited,” Durden said. “I’m sure the University can financially demonstrate the importance of diversity as it has with the business school and the Brown School of Social Work.”

In his opening remarks, senior Sam Lai said that he was excited about the center but wanted to focus on why the center was created and what it will do for all students.

“Are we excited about this center? Absolutely. But I think it’s in the way that a village under attack is excited to hear they are just now getting a wall. Relieved, I think, is a better word. You may think that’s a dramatic metaphor; you may think that it’s excessive to bring violence into the conversation, but I think it wouldn’t be prudent to pretend that this center is not inexorably involved in violence,” Lai said.

“I am among some of the most intelligent and brilliant and passionate people in the world…they’re all around me, and I hate that I have to watch them, instead of doing great things, struggle with being discriminated against,” he added. “And I hope that that’s what the center is about—enabling those of us who are dealing with these things to not have to deal with those things or to better deal with those things, so we can contribute to the University and contribute to the world.”

Associate Vice Chancellor for Students Rob Wild, who was a part of the center’s planning committee, noted that the space is designated as temporary for now but felt that it would be a good starting space.

“I think it’s the perfect first space for the center. We wanted it to be in a place where students, faculty and staff would feel comfortable coming together…I think my feelings about the space will really have to do with how it’s used over the course of the year. It’s an excellent start to what we want to do,” Wild said.

“We may decide down the road that this isn’t the right location—it isn’t the right size—so I think we’ve left open the possibility that this will not be permanent. But I think for at least the years ahead of us on the immediate horizon, this will serve the exact purpose we wanted it to serve,” Wild added.