CDI staff move to Wahtera Center as departments rebrand
In President Trump’s first week in office, he signed an executive order terminating all federal diversity equity, and inclusion programs. As a federal contractor, Michigan Tech is obligated to abide by the new order, or they would risk losing federal funding. Federal funding accounts for almost 80 percent of Michigan Tech’s research dollars. Significant changes that students can expect were highlighted in an email by the Vice President of Student Affairs, Laura Bulleit, on Feb 7.
These changes include the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) staff moving into new roles at the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success, where staff will further improve upon programs to help transfers, commuters, and first-generation students. The Office of Engagement and Belonging has been renamed to the Office of Community Engagement; this office will help students with educational attainment, economic development, health, and quality of life.
While the executive order brings a time of uncertainty to the university, Dean of Students Dr. Kellie Raffaelli says, “We are excited about the opportunity to reduce duplicate efforts and strengthen what we are working on.” For example, before the executive orders, two different people were helping support transfer students from two different offices. With the staff moving to the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success, “this gives us an opportunity to bring together and enhance some of the support”, says Raffaelli. The idea is that admissions counselors who focus on transfer students will be able to work more collaboratively with admissions to strengthen support for those students.
As for members of the LGBTQ+ community, just because the name of the building is changing doesn’t mean that the support will change. The Hamar House is still open. “Students are welcome to go in there and get that support”, Raffaelli says. Next year, the Alumni House will be rebranded to create an environment where all students are welcome. The staff support that students receive is not going away; Raffaeli assures, “No one is losing their jobs…Those individual relationships students have are still present…we still value and respect everyone at Michigan Tech and we’ll continue to support them individually and collectively”.
