The Lindenwood Center for Diversity and Inclusion has moved locations from Evans Commons to the Spellmann Center, with the old space in Evans renovated into the Student Leadership Innovation Center.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) moved locations from Evans 3110 to Spellmann 3080 according to Emily Pitts, the Director of the CDI. She is hoping to make the CDI easily accessible to students and offer a broad range of services by making the move.

“I think it was an investment that the university really wanted to bring more attention to the CDI as it was in a fairly small location, so it wasn’t really that conducive for a lot of students, faculty, and staff,” Pitts said to Lindenlink.

The larger area can make the center to be more functional and allow for more in-person training events, according to Pitts.

“I’ll also be utilizing the space for sessions for courageous conversations, they’ll be set up like a circle with a maximum of 35 people, they’ve been advertised on the learning academy for different topics as well as some foundational training,” Pitts said.

She is hoping that students can visit the center to hang out with their peers of different backgrounds and cultures, as well as give input and ideas for activities and events that they would like to see happen with the CDI.

The space in Evans 3110 will not be going to waste, as Lindenwood quickly utilized it for the new Student Leadership and Innovation Center. The Center will offer a space for students to collaborate and hold meetings.

On the Weekly Roar sent out by Student Involvement on Jan. 18, Student Involvement invited students to check out the Student Leadership and Innovation Center (SLIC) in Evans room 3110. The announcement included new changes to lounges on the third floor of Evans as well as printing capabilities in the SLIC.

Director of Student Involvement Carynn Smith was involved in the creation of the new student center taking the Center for Diversity and Inclusion’s (CDI) place in Evans. The plans were discussed between Smith’s office and Residential Life to re-imagine the space to meet students’ needs.

“Once I was made aware that the Center for Diversity and Inclusion was relocating to Spellmann, I had conversations with students in and around the Office of Student Involvement to better understand (students’) needs and how they’d like to brainstorm,” Smith wrote to Lindenlink.

Smith mentioned how several new commodities for students will be available at the SLIC, from free beverages to craft supplies.

The CDI will have a Martin Luther King Junior Event on Feb. 22 with both awards in the AB Leadership room and a ribbon cutting ceremony of the new space in Spellmann. Director Emily Pitts invites the Lindenwood community to join the event, which will have a reception for attendees to explore the new CDI office.

Along with the introduction of the new office, the CDI is inviting external speakers to come talk to students about a broad range of topics. The center is established to be a safe-space regardless of background or identity, and the office hopes to expand on that with the new space.