A new Equity and Community Inclusion Center (ECIC) is set to be constructed this fall semester in the Student Services building. While the $2.5 million project has yet to begin construction, it is already facing resistance from its future occupants, according to interviews conducted by Golden Gate Xpress.

San Francisco State University’s ECIC will house the LGBTQ+ Student Life, Black Unity Center, Latinx Student Center, Asian-American & Pacific Islander Student Services, Muslim Student Life, Jewish Student Life, Office of Diversity & Student Equity and the Dream Resource Center.

According to SFSU Capital Planning, Design and Construction, the new ECIC will provide a “centralized location” for these organizations, services and centers to participate in diverse events, services and grow a “community on campus.” The project received its funding from a secured one-time state fund that CPDC advocated for in 2022.

Alex Gomez has been the student assistant of the Latinx Student Center since it first opened in Fall 2022. Gomez said students who come to each of the centers, services and organizations are already part of a big community. The intended occupants of the space are skeptical about the project and if it’s going to cause potential conflicts amongst each other and themselves.

“They want us to be able to express ourselves in the center,” Gomez said. “But the fact that it’s so small and we won’t be able to have all the resources we have right now over there is going to be discouraging for people in the first place.”

According to CPDC, the ECIC will be a 3,500 square feet center on the second floor of the student services building that the university hopes will bring “a sense of community” and promote engagement and “a stronger sense of belonging” between the ECIC’s occupying centers and services. The construction project is also removing the old-fashioned “layouts” for a new “vibrant,” up-to-date design.

Brandon Foley, president of Associated Students, said the project is not a “merger” and the different centers and organizations will be separate but he acknowledges the concerns of those involved.

“Some people who either frequent those unity centers or leaders of cultural student organizations have expressed some discontent with the planned move,” Foley said. “They feel like some of their autonomy is being taken away if they’re all going into the same floor, so we’re definitely communicating that to the administration.”

Foley said those concerns were brought up in a meeting on Sept. 11 with Mahoney and some of her cabinet and office members.

One concern from the cultural centers and services was with the design of the ECIC, including the kitchen space because it will be shared by all of the programs who will move in. The concerns focus on what types of food should be kept in the center and potential allergens.

Additionally, the programs and their students voiced another concern about room usage as what one group might consider acceptable might not be acceptable to another in the same space.

“I think it’s rude, first of all, to be grouping up specific races, ethnicities specifically and religion-based communities all together because there’s so much intricacies and differences between us,” said Toshma Ward, a student who frequents the Black Unity Center and the Muslim Student Life.

Ward emphasized the need for each group to have their own space to be themselves and their own resources. “For different things, I need to go see different people,” he said.

Jamori Cooper, a student who often visits the Black Unity Center, said it is a “safe haven” for her to express herself. Cooper said she’s able to feel open to voice her opinions when she’s in the Black Unity Center and doesn’t feel as comfortable doing the same around people of different ethnic backgrounds.

“It can cause a lot of conflict and it’s just awkward,” Cooper said. “No one’s going to be themselves anymore because of it.”

Gomez said that it’s hard to say what sort of conflicts will come up from the shared space that the new ECIC will have. He said it’s “ironic” that administrators want to avoid potential conflicts between the diverse groups as he believes conflicts will eventually happen due to the cultural and religious centers having to share the space and resources.

“One of the things our board is really interested in doing this year is to make sure everyone has the same information,” Foley said. “It’s going to be really important to a lot of people that this project is done well.”

Foley said there will be continuous discussions with the Associated Students Board of Directors, Mahoney’s office and representatives from all of the different cultural unity centers about the remodeling to ensure that all parties are on the same page.

“Just knowing all of this is going to be gone by next year is really upsetting,” Gomez said. “It’s just upsetting. That’s all I can say.”

Gomez reminisced about the growth of the current Latinx Student Center, from a space in Village C that had “almost nothing” with very few decorations to gaining more people, artwork, flyers for events, decor and music playing.

“It’s almost like a family here,” Gomez said. “So knowing that we’re going to be put into another space and there’s already people saying ‘I’m not going to go there when it’s open,’ it defeats the purpose of what the whole thing is supposed to be.”