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Welcome to the Office of Multicultural Student Services

Established in 2021, the Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) is a structure of support centering students with marginalized identities. This support includes providing leadership and direction for the Ethnic Student Center, Blue Resource Center, and Black Student Coalition. In the coming years, the MSS will also be home to a Latine/x cultural center, an Asian American & Pacific Islander cultural center, and a social justice resource center.

Through the MSS you can engage with educational programming and trainings about power, privilege, and oppression. We organize identity and cultural based programs and celebrations. We build collaborative efforts throughout the campus to support our underrepresented and marginalized student population. We also work to address and dismantle systemic barriers to inclusion and belonging.

The newly built Multicultural Center was opened in 2019. Student advocacy was pivotal in the creation and establishment of this space, which houses many resources that support students with marginalized identities including the Ethnic Student Center, Blue Resource Center, LGBTQ+ Western, Office of Student Resilience, Western Success Scholars, and the Tribal Relations Office.

Schedule of academic and career support services in the Multicultural Center

Wall of books next to an open seating area

See the schedule of student services for Winter 2024!

Explore the Multicultural Center

Interior of the Multicultural Center

Learn about the space and see photos.

MSS Mission

The Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) creates initiatives and programming to support Western Washington University’s strategic goals in equity, excellence, and inclusion for our students. The MSS strives to create and ensure an inclusive Western Washington University community by centering and amplifying the voice of students with underrepresented and marginalized identities and supporting student success. We do this through collaboration, celebration, advocacy, and the development of learning spaces that focus on the topics of race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and ability.

Our Goals

  • Enhances students’ understanding of their own and others’ culture, heritage, and identities.
  • Promotes and enhances holistic student development including advancing their intellectual, career, social, ethical, and social justice development.
  • Identifies and addresses institutional policies and procedures that create inequities to access, retention, and graduation of underrepresented and marginalized student populations.
  • Empowers students to impact campus climate through advocacy and allyship.
  • Provides opportunities for students to establish satisfying interpersonal relationships.
  • Cultivates campus and community partnerships to build networks of support for students and enact necessary changes to address bias and prejudice.

*Established from the 2019 Council on the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education Multicultural Student Services assessment.

Clubs and Identity Centers