Cultural center finds a home on campus

Melinda Bullen

The Student Union at MHCC has evolved over the years. Long gone are its old pinball and arcade machines, as is its former name, the College Center.

So, too, has the facility’s stated mission to support “development of the whole student” and “foster a sense of community and cross-cultural understanding between students, staff and faculty” been revamped in order to meet current needs.

The newly opened Diversity Resource Center (DRC) on campus is the latest example of MHCC’s intent to fulfill that mission.

Located in the former Lake Room (AC 1051) the DRC will provide resources and services to students, faculty and staff that administration and students alike have sought for more than a decade.

The center is already open, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

A formal ribbon cutting ceremony is due on Nov. 6, where MHCC President Debbie Derr will join other speakers at the event that will include an open house and snacks.

“This is a really powerful statement,” said DRC coordinator Melinda Bullen, when talking about the strong push made by both the ASG and faculty to get the DRC established.

Arriving at Mt. Hood just six weeks ago, Bullen has had to hit the ground running to deliver on the promise that promoters of the center envisioned.

Melinda Bullen, Diversity Resource Center coordinator and a student in the newly furnished center in the Student Union.

Students are invited to see the resources available. They include a library of culturally relevant DVDs and books, and four Macbooks that may be used by students to explore websites that feature culturally diverse information or as general study tools.

The center also has a modular conference table, a living room-type setting, a projector screen and a personal mediation area.

“I want everyone to find a reason to come here,” Bullen said. She said the DRC will welcome not only people who seek personal assistance, but also classes, clubs and organizations that need a space to meet or make presentations.

“Ninety percent of what we will do will involve student leadership,” she said.

The DRC will organize lectures and events designed to help students interact learn about different cultures.

An example is Latin Heritage Day on Oct. 23. Scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union, it will feature speakers, resource materials, cultural food and dance.

A sampling of Latin American textiles is already on display in the DRC, which will host monthly rotating art installations.

Future events could include international films, national speakers and guest lecturers from Oregon Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bullen’s own journey fueled her desire to seek inclusiveness for students.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Asheville who began her studies at a community college, she was hired by her alma mater. Within two months, she was sent to rural areas to recruit for new students. She found that these communities had ethnically diverse populations that weren’t represented by the student body of UNC-Ashville.

Bullen was inspired to approach her supervisor with a proposal to develop outreach programs for those communities, she said. The idea that “access and inclusion” must be developed for all to be educated would eventually lead her to Chile for almost two years before taking the new job at Mt. Hood, she said.

“I want to dedicate my professional life to providing an education for everybody,” she said. “I’m grateful. I have the best job you can get.”

Advocate Staff