Students are hoping to unite and collaborate in an effort to bring a center to the University that will be focused on all students and ethnic backgrounds.

The idea came from a roundtable discussion during an Obsidian meeting between different organizations last year.

“The general feeling was that there was not enough collaboration between groups, because, for example, Black Student Union and Latino Student Union could be doing a similar event, which could become redundant for students,” said steering committee member Anamita Gall.

The ethnic student center hopes to eliminate this problem and unite students of various organizations on campus. The center’s mission is to get organizations on campus to collaborate and to have a safe place to discuss issues. The steering committee is currently the group of people who are organizing the center. People from all different areas of campus are needed, said steering committee member R.J. Segovi. The center is currently working on the beginning stages of planning, contacting and creating a place for students.

The group hopes to have representatives from various organizations so events don’t overlap.

They also hope to create an environment that anyone can participate in.

“It is not exclusive because I believe anyone can be involved,” said vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government, Nick Gamero.

Even students who are not of particular ethnic backgrounds are welcome to the center to participate in discussing and learning about issues.

“It will allow different organizations to work together and just be a place to get to know each other at a deeper level,” said LSU President Laura Saavedra.

The organization is currently working on where the center could be located in the Union and whether or not the administration will support it.

“Many other universities have an ethnic student center that have been successful,” Saavedra said.

The steering committee and various organizations continue to look to what the future holds.

“It’s going to be a place where people can come and support culture where the students are the focus,” Gall said.

For more information about the ethnic student center, visit http://www.esccc.info/