MSU renames Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons

MSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons (DISC) has recently undergone a name change and is now called the Student Commons (SC).

The SC is an office on campus that provides academic support, family care rooms and meeting spaces for students and faculty, as well as support for student clubs and organizations, according to its website. The SC was founded in 2005 and is now overseen by the Office of Access and Success (OAS) according to the OAS Senior Access Officer Ariel Donohue.

Despite its name change, Donohue said that the SC still provides the same resources it did under its previous name.

“In the spring of 2023, [the SC was] getting a lot of feedback at that time about students who were having trouble navigating all of our student support resources,” Donohue said. Additionally, she explained that some student organizations felt a disconnect with the words diversity and inclusion.

She said that after receiving this feedback, the SC began considering ways to streamline and clarify resource access for students. “We started meeting with student organizations last summer — the ones that most closely work with [the SC] — to say, what are you liking? What are you needing? What do you see for the future? And [the name change] came out of some of those conversations,” she said.

Donohue emphasized that the SC is in compliance with all federal mandates. Additionally, she said that the staff and faculty at SC have been planning the name change since the summer of 2024. When asked if the office publicly announced the name change, Donohue explained that the staff and faculty have been engaging with the groups they work with often.

“Because there's a lot wrapped up in [the name change] and for me, there was a risk of people misunderstanding it — there’s so much going on right now, I did not want people to be left thinking it was this or that without clarification,” she said.

President and Vice President of the Black Student Union (BSU), Chanielle Rice and Madeline Kemp, both expressed that they found the decision disappointing even though their organization was approached and asked its opinion on a potential name change.

“[Kemp] and I were like, we don't have a problem with the DISC space name. I feel like having that diversity as a part of the actual name allows it to be more opening and welcoming for everyone regardless of their race or gender,” Rice said.

Rice explained that the BSU has met in the SC since the club's previous president advocated for a designated space for meetings. Now, the club holds biweekly meetings in the SC.

“From what I was told, they wanted to make the space more inclusive for people. So everybody could be able to come in here and nobody should feel discriminated against — which if I'm being completely honest — is bullsh*t,” Rice said. “For some reason, MSU feels the need to cater to the white people on campus.”

Kemp emphasized that the SC serves as a safe space for her and many of the members of the BSU. “[The DISC was] our safety net,” Kemp said. “It is a little scary. Our safety net is now gone. What happens if your safety net is gone?”

Rice said that taking away diversity and inclusion from the name may harm those who use the office as a safe space. “Does [calling it a diversity office] create a target? Sometimes yes, but also it lets people know that if you are one of those people who are racist or you just have a very bigoted mindset — you know not to come in here because your people aren't here," she  said.

According to Rice, the BSU will continue to hold meetings and events in the SC space. Both Kemp and Rice said that the name change does not alter their club or their personal relationships with the SC and its staff.

Rice said that she hopes that MSU will refuse to compromise on certain values, especially those pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“They can say — you know what? That's not right. We can do something about this. How can we make this different? How can we make it better? We all deserve a space,” she said.

“We're not asking for a Black hall, we're not asking for a Black park or a Black building. We're not asking for that,” she said. “We're asking to keep this space [a] diversity, equity and inclusion space. And they couldn't even do that. So it's kind of disappointing, to be honest.”

To access SC resources, visit  https://www.montana.edu/studentcommons/index.html. 

To learn more about the BSU, visit its Instagram @bsuatmsu.