Grand Opening of the Intercultural Space

On Monday, February 3, the Intercultural Space had its official opening in the Student Center. This week marks a milestone for diversity at Stevens.

On February 20, 2019 the SGA passed a Proclamation called “A Case on the Creation of the Intercultural Center,” which then led to the approval of the creation of the Intercultural Space on September 24, 2019. The Intercultural Space is a place for students of all identities and backgrounds to feel comfortable and free of judgement. Its mission is “to empower Stevens students to create a thriving and inclusive community by cultivating a supportive space for underrepresented students and their allies on campus to foster an understanding of diversity and inclusion.” This project was lead by student leaders like Nasir Montalvo, who sought “a space for dialogue on the topics of diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality on campus.”

To raise awareness of this new resource, the space held events such as “You are an artist,” “which invited students to create art that reflects their identities, values, and communities to decorate the Intercultural Space,” said Liliana Delman, Associate Director for Diversity Education. This was followed by a karaoke night on Tuesday and an “Alumni and Student Reception” on Wednesday. Attendees of the reception reflected on their time at Stevens and the meaning of the new space on campus. They were stunned yet proud of this entity being brought to campus; it is something they never experienced during their college years. Thursday’s and Friday’s events were a “Resource Fair” and “D&I Committee Forum” on inclusion at Stevens, respectively.

On any given day, students are welcome to study, hang out, and relax in the space. Student organizations are invited to host programs and events related to the mission. To stay up to date with the latest events in the intercultural space, follow @interculturalspace on Instagram.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee, founded by student Nasir Montalvo, Class of 2021, is a committee of the SGA that aims to promote education, foster allyship, and celebrate all identities on campus. Montalvo founded the Committee on November 11, 2018, in response to a Student Life voting campaign targeted at minority students at Stevens. After a public forum, the committee came to a unanimous decision to pursue the development of the Intercultural Space. When asked about the administration’s role in the project, Montalvo said, “Sara Klein was instrumental in giving me guidance about how to pursue this Center. I received no pushback at all from administration.” Whether the administration wanted to squash the voting campaign dilemma, acknowledge the necessity of such a space, or both, they did encourage students to pursue the space and provided help in its formation.

With an increasingly diverse student body, the main objectives of the Intercultural Space are to provide identity development, social justice education, community-building, empowerment, and allyship. From a university that did not accept women at all to one that now has a Diversity & Inclusion Committee and an Intercultural Space, Stevens has made positive social change over the years. Delman said, “The Intercultural Space is one step towards making sure we celebrate, educate, and build community at Stevens. While policies and processes help, there is always more work to be done in regards to how each of us commit to being more inclusive.”  While the administration supported the development of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, they required Montalvo to gather support from one-third of the Undergraduate student body. Montalvo questioned why underrepresented students needed permission from the rest of their peers to create something to make them feel more included and at home; “That’s when it became clear to me that the President and his Cabinet were more concerned with numbers rather than the actual well-being of their students,” he said. Slowly but surely Stevens is making changes to becoming a more inclusive community, especially at the student level. As Delman said, there is always more work to be done. This initiative is proof that students have the ability and power to create change.