UW Oshkosh has enlisted the help of UW System to sell the Campus Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, now called the Center for Student Success and Belonging (CSSB), building after moving its department into the Hub in Reeve Union.
The goal of the move is to update UWO’s campus footprint, push the campus out toward the river and cut excess spending on older buildings.
“Despite its other limitations, it was always among the easternmost properties,” Alex Hummel, the University chief of staff, said. “We’re not moving in that direction.”
Expansion towards the river was motivated by the availability of land and the amount of student foot traffic in that direction.
In moving to Reeve, the Hub gives the CSSB a central location on campus. The old building was retrofitted with a wheelchair lift when UWO originally bought it, but the Executive Director of the CSSB, Byron Adams, said the relocation doesn’t cause any loss of accessibility.
“I think part of the challenges and barriers we always had being located there was the physical location,” Adams said. “… That trek from whether they’re coming from the residence halls or from the academic buildings or even from the union.”
Adams said the employees often felt isolated from campus, and the old building was too large for the operations that took place inside.
Aside from being central to campus, the CSSB is located on the first floor of Reeve near accessible bathrooms.
Shortly after the old building was listed, the Trump Administration announced they would be rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across America. There has also been pressure from Wisconsin State Republicans to get rid of DEI efforts.
Adams said that at UWO, it’s “business as usual,” and Adams also said that the timing of the listing was purely coincidental. Last fall, the CSSB lost a few staff members in the layoffs, but there is no plan to scale back DEI efforts on campus.
“We were able to sustain the services and the staff after the layoffs,” Adams said. “So the day to day doesn’t look any different.”
Adams said that the change of scenery should be seen as an upgrade. The Hub allows the CSSB to broaden its reach throughout campus.
“I think we’re kind of transitioning into this new era with diversity, equity and inclusion work where we want to be encompassing and inclusive of everyone’s needs,” Adams said. “So whether that’s in our religion or veteran status or accessibility, really broadening our scope and being in a location like this allows us to do that better.”
To learn more about the CSSB’s mission and access the full calendar of events, go to www.uwosh.edu/cssb/about/hub/.
