What do you get when you combine people with different backgrounds, ideas, and talents? At Ball State, it’s the Multicultural Center, a place where appreciating and promoting cultural diversity is our goal.

The “Multi,” as we like to call it, brings together students of different genders, races, and ethnicities to discuss social and racial issues. In addition, the center is a place to just hang out with friends, study, or hold meetings.

Since its founding in the early 1970s, the Special Programs house, as the center was once called, was Ball State’s response to the request of African-American students who wanted a place on campus that was staffed by people sensitive to their feelings of isolation and alienation.

And though our office has made changes over the years, our goal is still the same. We want to help prepare you for life by engaging you in intellectual discussions and giving you the resources needed to be successful in the workplace.

Part of that help is offering resources such as the Malcolm X Library, which is housed in our office. The library has more than 1,000 books, newspapers, videotapes, and magazines about minorities. In addition, we hold summer programs, lecture series, and we also have a computer lab.

As some of our students have said, the Multi becomes a home away from home.