Ethnic Student Center History
1960s to Present Day
The Ethnic Student Center (ESC) was established by a strong coalition of student leaders in April of 1991. As we honor the legacy of the ESC, we also recognize that the history of ethnic clubs and students of color at Western started decades earlier. It is important to know our organizational histories, and much of this history has been archived by leaders of the past for us to learn from.
In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s many student groups held offices in the Viking Union (VU), and various ethnic student groups had offices sporadically throughout the building. One year, the AS President suggested that all the ethnic clubs be moved to the same area instead of keeping them spread out. Taking that suggestion, the Black Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (MEChA), American Indian Student Union, and Asian-American Student Union/Asian Political Committee were moved to a set of offices that bordered VU 408 (a lounge area). The hope was that the ethnic clubs could use their offices and VU 408 to collaborate and cooperate with one another. However, that hope did not come to fruition and for some clubs the move instead caused tensions to grow. By the end of the decade, many clubs had become inactive and this area was redistributed to other organizations on campus (Jack Smith, "The Beginning of the Ethnic Student Center: A Two-Decade Path to A 'Student Center'").
(below) May 14, 1968.
BSU members present their list of demands to Western administrators.
The Western Front, Volume 60, Number 28, page 1.
(above) January 13, 1973.
MEChA and the WWSC Friends of the Farmworkers boycott Safeway because they would not purchase and sell United Farm Worker-picked lettuce.
Northwest Passage, Volume 8, Number 7, page 16.
Without organizational spaces or support staff, the 1980s were a difficult time for the leaders of student groups. During this time, many ethnic student clubs were encouraged to put on large events such as the annual Powwow and Black History celebrations but received little institutional support for their efforts.
"While many positive and well-received programs and events were produced during this time frame, some became a drudgery for those involved in doing the program. For those students it was not a good experience. Further, many groups became known mainly for their annual productions and not for many of the other issues that they were addressing or smaller scale activities. A sort of ‘showcasing and tokenism’ may have occurred."
- Jack Smith ("The Beginning of the Ethnic Student Center: A Two-Decade Path to A 'Student Center'").
Talks of better support for ethnic students and a potential cultural center started in the early 80s, but it would still take years for real plans to be drawn up.
(left) January 15, 1987.
Picture of the four Black Student Union members [Norman Carroll, Ed Banaga, Janice Richison, and James Lewis] who performed a skit at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial dinner.
The Western Front, Volume 79, Number 1, Page 3.
(above) May 16-17, 1987.
Dancers participate in the Northwest Golden Eagle Powwow.
The Western Front, Volume 79, Number 29, Page 5.
After the lack of institutional progress to create a space for students of color, a few ethnic club presidents decided to form the Ethnic Student Alliance in hopes of progressing the project more. The group consisted of Salvadore Martin (MEChA), Cinque Finnie (Black Student Network), Ioannis (International Club), Michelle Vendiola (Native American Student Council), and Jessica Lee (Asian American/Pacific Islander Student Union). Even though the alliance was gaining the support of faculty and students, no progress was being made, so Salvadore Martin decided to take things a step further. Martin sat down in the WWU President’s office (President Mortimer) with a stack of books and a sign reading “students of color need a place to go”. He proceeded to spend his entire day studying beside the President, not leaving even when asked, as he understood he had the right to occupy a public space. The following day other members of the alliance and its allies followed suit and filled the President’s office with studying students. These actions pushed Western administrators to think more seriously about the creation of an ethnic center. This was a pivotal moment in the development of the ESC and marked when real momentum started to build.
In 1988, Western started preparing for a VU renovation, which presented the perfect opportunity for them to finally create an official space for ethnic students. This led to the formation of the ESC planning committee, which in 1988-89 included Lorri Brown (Native American Student Council), Tammy Flemming (Associated Student President), Pam Gant (Black Student Network), Chris Ninaud (International Club), Atissa Papritz (Cross Cultural Center), Peter Stephans-Garcia (MEChA), and Jack Smith (Viking Union Director). In 1989-90 the committee included, Atissa Azar (Cross Cultural Center), Larry Estrada (Assistant Vice President/Diversity), Kim Garcia (MEChA), Michelle Vendiola (Native American Student Council), Jai Honna German (Black Student Network), Ericka Jackson (Associated Students Board), Patti Koon (Counseling Center), Chris Ninaud (International Club), Kimmi Yee (Asian American/Pacific Islander Student Union), and Jack Smith (Viking Union Director).
After a few years of planning and budgeting, the ESC finally celebrated its grand opening on May 21st, 1991. At the time of its opening, the ESC was located in VU 420 and consisted of five ethnic clubs: the Black Student Network, Native American Student Council, Asian American/Pacific Islander Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, and International Club. The ESC’s presence alone impacted the student body noticeably. Between the fall of 1990 and 1991 only 9 new students of color enrolled at Western, but 142 new students of color enrolled between the fall of 1992 and 1993 (Hailey Murphy, “Students of color need a place to go”).
(above) 1996 Ethnic Student Center Retreat at Camp Casey.
(above) Filipino American Student Association's 3rd Annual Filipino American Student Alliance Conference (1997).
The ESC continued through the early 2000s to seek more support and partnered with the AS Student Government to advocate for Student Activities Fees, which would help fund the center and its programs. The ESC was also a partner with the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and was often co-sponsored by Residence Life to host signature events we now call “Heritage Dinners”. Many ESC clubs collaborated to host large campus wide events, unique programming such as “Culture Shock” the annual ESC showcase and club performances. From 1991 through 2019, the ESC was able to host the annual ESC Conference where leaders and club advisors camped out at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. From 2009 through 2018 the students lobbied the S&A Fee committee and urged the campus to hire a “Director” title for the ESC. The organization was being managed by an Assistant Director, when the work was clearly much more substantial.
Although the ESC finally had an official space dedicated to supporting BIPOC students and program planning, it did not come without its own challenges. The Viking Union, especially before the 2019 renovations, was confusing to navigate and finding VU 420 proved to be a barrier for many students. Additionally, the program would soon outgrow VU 420 (it had a maximum capacity of 52 people) and overcrowding made it evident that a bigger area was needed. Formal concerns about the lack of space arose in 2014, and by 2016 students were voting on whether or not a new Multicultural Center should be built.
Another round of VU renovations began in 2018, and with that came the Multicultural Center that students had voted for. There were many people involved in the planning of the Multicultural Center, including various ESC members, who were given the opportunity to participate in the development of the new center by attending workshops with the designers and architects. Additionally, there were three ESC representatives on the program team, Lafayette Baker (Assistant Director of the ESC), Abby Ramos (AS Vice President for Diversity), and Aleyda Cervantes (Fairhaven student), who were responsible for taking information back to the general ESC community. It’s important to note that the ESC community fought hard for the Multicultural Center for many years, and although we can’t highlight everyone who helped, their work is not unappreciated.
The Multicultural Center and new ESC celebrated their grand opening on the 7th floor of the VU on October 10th, 2019. At the time of this new center’s opening, the ESC had grown to consist of 19 clubs: the Latinx Student Union, Oceanic Student Union, Vietnamese Student Association, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán, Mixed Identity Student Organization, Filipino American Student Association, Blue Group, South Asian Student Association, Middle Eastern Student Association, Japanese Student Association, Chinese Student Association, Arab Student Association, African Caribbean Club, Korean Student Association, Western Hmong Student Association, Queer and Trans People of Color, Native American Student Union, and the Black Student Union. In 2021, the inaugural Director of Multicultural Student Services was hired, providing professional staffing that centered the support of BIPOC students.
(above) Wall of ESC Clubs located in the Multicultural Center Lounge.
(above) October 10, 2019.
Multicultural Center and ESC opening ceremony.
We celebrate that the ESC has been a source of student support for decades, with a large impact on local and regional communities. We also honor the continued advocacy of students of color who have pushed Western to become a more supportive and culturally competent institution. In 2016, the Native American Student Union wrote a letter to the President’s office highlighting their need for cultural support, which led to the establishment of the Tribal Relations Office and a Tribal Liaison position.
Similarly to the endeavors of the Native American Student Union a few years prior, Black students both in 2018 and 2020 formally advocated for institutional support and criticized Western’s continued tokenization of Black identities. After their relentless work, the Black Student Retention Specialist position and Black Student Coalition were created in 2021. Additionally, their efforts led to the official recognition of Black History Month, MLK Day, and Juneteenth annually.
Even the Blue Resource Center, which has provided support for undocumented, DACAmented, and students in mixed-status families since 2019, would not exist today if it hadn’t been for the relentless advocacy of the students a part of Western’s Blue Group.
The hard work of the BIPOC students and allies who came before us should not go unrecognized and underappreciated, because without them Western would not be what it is today.
(above) May 22, 2016.
The Native American Student Union presents the contents of the Red Letter during their weekly meeting.
The Western Front, Volume 175, Issue 9, Page 1.
(below) June 11, 2025.
Group photo taken at the Juneteenth flag raising and celebration of graduates' ceremony. Hosted by the Black Student Coalition.
Western Flickr, Juneteenth Celebration 2025.
Through student advocacy, today we have multiple resources including Multicultural Student Services, which is home to the Ethnic Student Center, Black Student Coalition, Blue Resource Center, and La Plaza. We have a structure of support with professional staff members, Retention Specialists, that provide care and advising to our students and student organizations, as well as a Director of Multicultural Student Services that advocates for the growth and support of our programs. As one of the programs under The Centers for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement (The Centers), we approach our work and support of students with an intersectional lens with our colleagues in LGBTQ+ Western, Disability Access Center, and Disability Outreach Center. Looking to the future, we hope to create an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center to support our growing APIDA student population and campus community. Because of the students in our history, we are able to look toward a bright future with resources centering our students.