From getting advice, to printing, to just dropping in and saying hello, Bradley Harrison, a recent graduate in Applied Health Sciences, found his “home away from home” at the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, or BNAACC.

However, his home’s extremely poor and unkept condition led to Harrison’s eagerness to have it relocated to a more modern and up-to-date building. 

The Nesbitt center, formerly situated at 708 S. Mathews St., began moving on Aug. 18 to its new location at 51 E. Gregory Drive. The location previously housed the Campus Outdoor Recreational Center. 

The relocation process began after students, such as Harrison, began questioning the conditions of the center. 

“It is one of the only places on campus that is titled for (but not just designated for) African-American students and it was also one of the worst places on campus. The University claims to be diverse and everything looked good on paper, but in practice it was a little lackluster. I wanted to hold the University accountable for their words.”

There were many structural issues with the previous location, which Rory James, Director of the BNAACC, described as “public knowledge.” These included problems with safety railings, asbestos and mold in the basement, along with a lack of accessibility for disabled students.

Gigi Secuban, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs and director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, said the BNAACC and La Casa, a Latina cultural center, are the two oldest cultural centers in the country.

The center’s previous location was formerly a fraternity house and the faculty’s offices were created out of old bedrooms. The new location will provide James with his first actual office since he joined the University in June 2010.

“Even the lighting is brighter here … it’s amazing how the environment affects your mood,” James said. “We are hard workers and we come here every day and we are very excited about the possibilities of being here.”

When touring the campus, students can see the state-of-the-art quality of buildings, such as the Institute for Genomic Biology or Grainger Library, James said. However, he believes cultural centers should all be next on the University’s list. 

James stressed the importance of rebuilding cultural centers, especially for incoming students that identify with the ethnicity the center was created for. 

“When you are recruiting certain populations and you have a certain building for certain student groups, well you definitely want that ‘wow’ factor,” he said “When you think aesthetically, it is 2014, and you want the facilities to reflect that.”

Reluctant to continue funneling money into maintaining the current cultural centers, the University has considered creating a larger center to support all ethnic studies departments and cultural houses. However, a new cultural center would cost the University approximately $57 million, Secuban said.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Renee Romano added that a feasibility study revealed the University doesn’t currently have funds for such a project.

James mentioned that some cultural centers are nicer than the others, while the BNAACC previous location was the “worst-off.” 

“We have known that the center needed work and we have been piecing it together and building a little bit here and a little bit there,” Romano said. “Over the years, we renovated the kitchen, got new furniture and made repairs.”

However, these fixes didn’t address the structural problems of the building and after an overall assessment performed by University Facilities and Services, enough issues were found that it became necessary to relocate the center entirely.

Finding a new facility for the BNAACC proved challenging due to the fact that there weren’t many vacant structures available.

“We were looking at whatever locations we could find and we needed a certain amount of space and we were looking for a location that would be accessible, attractive and useful,” said Romano.

Secuban said ultimately the Campus Outdoor Recreational Center was selected because it was used very rarely for training purposes and storing equipment.

“It came up as an option and we took a group of students to the facility and they really liked it,” she said. “I think it’s the accessibility of the place and the fact that it is right by the SDRP and other amenities, like the basketball courts and the ARC.”

However, despite the poor condition of the previous building, the University is going to keep and maintain it.

“I don’t think people realize just how much stuff there is in that house, not years but decades of material is there and we want to preserve it,” James said.

This material includes choir robes and historic documents, which are in the process of being transferred into the University’s archives. 

James described the newly renovated Campus Outdoor Recreation Center as a “long-term temporary” location with the expectation that they would remain at the location for five to seven years.

In the meantime, the goal is to look for a permanent facility to house the center.

James said renovations are continuing to take place to suit the center’s needs, such as creating offices and installing carpet, wireless routers, a lounge area, computer work-stations, a kitchen and a radio station to host “Where Black Music Lives.” 

In total, the center will obtain 75 percent of the facility and Campus Parks and Recreation will retain the remaining 25 percent for storage of its machinery and supplies.

The grand opening for the center will take place on the weekend of Oct. 11, which will also celebrate the department’s 45th anniversary on campus. 

“Being in a new space gives a revitalized spirit for the center,” said Harrison. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

Harrison described what made him decide to “take a stand” and push for the relocation of the BNAACC.

“Knowing the role that the cultural center played in my personal life, my professional life and my academic life on campus, I know the importance of the cultural center,” he said. 

Edward can be reached at [email protected].