Santa Monica College is dishing out $500k towards a ‘Social Justice and Gender Equity’ center. Out of the half a million dollar fund, they’ll be spending an estimated $60k to revamp a computer lab into a safe space.
Dr. Nancy Grass, dean of student life at Santa Monica College, led the charge in spearheading the campaign to establish the ‘Social Justice and Gender Equity’ center, which is reportedly the most money the school’s student government has spent in the history of Santa Monica College.
“The administration is basically demanding that the student government spend more money on anything that it has in the entire history of [Santa Monica College], all at once, without any significant discussion,” said Lee Peterson, supervisor of the school’s computer lab, in an interview with The Stringer.
What will you find in the $500k ‘Social Justice and Gender Equity’ Center? I’m curious…
Inside the half-million-dollar center, you’ll encounter “a Safe Space for Undocumented Students, DACA Students, LGBTQ+ Community, Religious Practice, and many more,” according to Ben Kolodny, vice president of Santa Monica’s Small Gov Club.
Over 300 students responded to the $500k center by signing a petition calling the whole project “a huge waste of student resources.”
Kolodny wrote up the petition in an attempt to “Save the Cayton Center!” He said that on Monday, December 24, the school will replace the Cayton Center Computer lab with a “Social Justice Center and Safe Space.”
Associated Students president Jennifer Chen seemed to praise the development of the center by looking on the bright side, as the renovation will reportedly come with more computers and printers for students to use.
