Editor, Daily Nexus,

As I walked through the doorway of the MultiCultural Center with my 10-day-old son last year to meet the radical poet and musician Saul Williams, I thought, “There is no place like this on campus.”

As an undergraduate from 1995 to 2000, I took advantage of every opportunity to attend events at the MCC knowing that I would actually have the opportunity to interact with the people who came to share their work, their struggles, their insights and their creative manifestations. As an organizer for social justice at UCSB, I felt the MCC was another home, a place to be held with others and intersect our lives’ experiences to grow and educate each other. When our growth and perspectives grew into a need to express, create and perform, we had the resources of a theater that prioritized students’ voices. In fact, it was witnessing other students take the space of the stage that moved me the most. From drama groups to slam poetry nights to dance performances to art exhibits to open mic nights, the MCC provided a vital source of opportunity for students to explore their identities and empower them with a sense of self, integrity and pride by using the spaces for expression.

As a staff member of UCSB, a community member and a new mother, the MCC is still my favorite place to be on campus. I know when I walk through those doors, I will continue to be compelled by people’s stories. I know I will be inspired by the artists I meet in an intimate setting. I know I will be welcomed by the caring and dedicated staff. I know that I will share an experience with a community in a place that has a history and an incredible imperative future for the UCSB community.

Please vote YES on the MCC lock-in fee.