Clarification appended.
About 15 Ohio University students protested Wednesday against what they see as a plan by the university to merge the LGBT Center and the Multicultural Center.
The university was announced on April 9 that the LGBT Center will relocate to an about 1,200 square foot space next to the Multicultural Center in Baker Center, according to a previous Post report.
University spokesman Jim Sabin clarified in a later email that there “is not now, nor was there ever” a proposal to merge the two centers, adding that they were “always separate entities in separate spaces in the planning process.”
However, Brianna McElrath, a junior studying history pre-law, said the administration is trying to push the two centers into a box in the corner. She said the LGBT Center should be in a secluded space so students can come out in privacy.
Protesters chanted phrases like “protect the MCC and queer community” and “we don’t want the merge, our voices must be heard.”
The students started protesting at about 3 p.m. in front of Cutler Hall. The students went down through Baker Center, back up Baker Center and then stood across from Baker Center in front of Scripps Hall. The protest ended at about 5:30 p.m. in front of Cutler Hall.
“We feel less and less like Bobcats every week,” said Eden Tadesse, a sophomore studying communication.
Tadesse said some students met with Jason Pina, OU’s vice president for Student Affairs, and Gigi Secuban, OU’s vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, to discuss the merger. Tadesse said she hasn’t seen Secuban in the Multicultural Center.
There were about 60 students at a speakout at Student Senate on April 11. Senate members passed a bill opposing the merging of the two centers, according to a previous Post report.
Tadesse said a group of about 20 students received an email from Secuban where she said she should have talked to students that use the centers.
Justice Hill, a journalism professor, said OU doesn’t care about diversity and inclusion and that the merge speaks for the “tone deafness” of Secuban and OU President Duane Nellis.
Clarification: This article’s headline has been updated. The article has also been updated to include a statement from a university spokesperson.
