Campus culture took center stage this week at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood as the commuter school opened up real space for its new Center for Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in a repurposed classroom in the Student Achievement Center.

The project began in the summer of 2022 and evolved from a directive given to the school’s Dean of Public Service, Humanities, Social Sciences and Mathematics Andrew Barnett 10 years ago.

A committee was formed as the college’s first step toward incorporating diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) into the school culture. In the past 10 years, committee members have provided different programs and projects for staff, faculty and students.

“This center is the evolution of the campus’ efforts in the DEI field,” said Janet Corrinne-Harvey, executive director of marketing and communications.

The idea for the Center of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging was born when Education PreK-4 Program Director Brandi Slider, Director of Student Success Julie Greathouse and Barnett realized that they wanted a place for their work with students and other faculty members to be housed. Slider and Greathouse are co-chairs of the center.

“The work is not just for the students,” Greathouse said. “It’s also for faculty and staff who want to learn to be better allies, to be more inclusive in what they do with our diverse populations. We ultimately want it to go on to be a mainstay in Westmoreland County and the other counties that we serve.”

To emphasize that the center was being created as a safe haven for students, three students were recruited to be involved in the planning process.

Student Haley Brown was asked to make art for the room, and was given free rein to create what would hang on the walls. One painting depicts a woman in a mask to represent a time during covid quarantine.

“They said I could create anything,” Brown said. “Seeing the little pieces of the room come together, each piece that was added just made the room more inviting. It doesn’t even feel like a classroom anymore.”

Corrinne-Harvey said that letting the students have freedom to decorate the space helped emphasize the fact that the center is meant to be a welcoming space.

“We wanted them to pick what they had on the walls,” Corrine-Harvey said. “It’s their space. We wanted them to make it a place that they would feel comfortable.”

Kylie Missenda was able to shadow Slider and Greathouse throughout the creation process. As a social work major, she was eager to learn the steps of making changes in a professional environment.

“It was a great learning experience,” Missenda said. “I wanted to be able to help them out because it was for our school and it would provide people with a safe place to sit and relax.”

Laylo Tukhtamurodova, student government president, gave a speech at the ribbon cutting and began by welcoming guests in Russian. She emphasized the importance of students being comfortable in their college environment and feeling secure enough to thrive.

“I’m a POC (person of color) and I have that experience of being an immigrant in the new country, and learning the language and feeling isolated,” Tukhtamurodova said. “I hope that people can find solidarity and company in each other through this center. I hope they find comfort in each other with people who understand those struggles.”

The students hope that the center will feel like a home away from home for students of color, LGBTQ+ community members and any other student seeking support.

“It’s a room where we can go and not be judged,” Brown said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)