The Role of On-campus, Race-Based Student Activism in a Multicultural Center at a Predominantly White Institution: An Ecological Case Study
Open AccessCultural centers on college and university campuses in the U.S. are deeply connected to student activism such that institutions were prompted by protests staged by Black, Asian American, and Latinx students to establish the first ethnic-specific centers in the 1970s and the first multicultural centers in the 1980s. Similar to their predecessors from 50 years ago, students of color today continue to issue demands for the creation of and sustained investment in cultural or multicultural centers on their campuses. These institutional entities are often charged with a duality of roles in which they must simultaneously serve the needs of their institutions and campus community members. However, such roles are challenged when there is misalignment in how different campus populations perceive the focus and purpose of these centers. Extant literature examines cultural centers and student activism as separate topics, yet there is a gap in research that considers the link between race-based student activism and multicultural centers. Guided by the campus ecology framework and critical systems theory, this case study explored the role of on-campus, race-based student activism in a multicultural center at a predominantly White institution, specifically the Trotter Multicultural Center (TMC) at the University of Michigan. Through surveys and individual interviews with student activists, faculty and staff members, and senior-level administrators, along with direct observations and document analysis, this study demonstrates the interconnectedness of ecological components such as individuals, social norms and values, physical spaces, and organizational structures and policies that comprise the TMC. The findings reveal the prevailing presence of two competing views on multiculturalism, which shaped study participants’ perceptions of, expectations for, and engagement with the TMC. In addition, the findings indicate how the tension created by the two views is manifested in the TMC’s relationship with on-campus, race-based student activism and in its existence as a symbol, campus building, and administrative unit. Overall, this study contributes to higher education discourse by highlighting significant points for consideration for institutional responses to on-campus, race-based student activism, particularly responses that involve the creation of a new multicultural center or support of an existing multicultural center.
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