IKEA Partnership Reopens the Multicultural Center With Style

As coordinator of the CSU Dominguez Hills Multicultural Center (MCC), Lui Amador plans activities for students that raise consciousness about ethnic and social issues. With the Center’s move to the expanded Loker Student Union this semester, he was eager to find a way to designate the new space that would welcome more students to the Center for its programs. He also wanted to make the MCC more “functional and conducive to what students need, a place to hang out and meet new people. It’s also a space to take a break between classes, as well as providing added incentive to learn more about and participate in the variety of MCC programs and services.”

Amador realized that the local Carson IKEA could help provide that kind of ambience for the MCC.

“Last summer, as I began preparing for the move to our new space in the Union, I thought about what type of look and environment I wanted to create for our students,” he says. “There was a coffee house near my home that opened last year with great success, due in part to its fun, but functional decor. I wanted the same feel for the Center and I knew that a store like IKEA would offer furniture in line with this vision.”

While shopping at IKEA one day, Amador ran into a former student that he had worked with at Cal Poly Pomona, Daryl Moore, who is now a manager at the store. Amador later contacted Moore, asking for contact with store personnel who would consider his proposal for a partnership between the MCC and IKEA.

Claudia Soto-Neira, public relations manager, IKEA Carson, states that, "IKEA Carson is very excited and grateful for the opportunity to furnish CSUDH's Multicultural Center. Our hope is that this room will be a place for creative work and enjoyable activities to bring students from all backgrounds and ethnicities together, promote understanding and acceptance for all people, and develop a climate in which they are all enriched by each other."

Gus Tinajero, general manager, IKEA Carson adds, "Diversity for us at IKEA Carson is not only about ethnicity, race or countries of origin, although we strive for our team to mirror the rich ethnicity of our local market. We believe that respecting everyone's uniqueness allows us to work at our best and appreciate our coworkers, customers and community partners even more."

A team of IKEA designers will begin work on the MCC project on Feb. 19, completing it by Feb. 23. An unveiling celebration will be held for the campus community on Feb. 26 at 10 a.m.

“IKEA is committed to developing partnerships with the community,” says Amador. “It’s regular practice for them to seek out potential projects in the community that are in line with their philosophy of being socially responsible, and their strong commitment to diversity, which makes a partnership with the MCC an ideal and
mutually beneficial one.”

- Joanie Harmon-Whetmore

Photo above: The staff of the CSUDH Multicultural Center look forward to their facility's new look, courtesy of the Carson IKEA. (L-R) Lui Amador, coordinator, MCC; Dorian Hunt, volunteer; Princess Woodruff, junior (Psychology); Cilecia Foster, graduate student (Communications); Carolina Couto, senior (Psychology); Jhovanna Rojas, senior (Biology); and Susie Lopez, senior (Chicana/o Studies/ Sociology). Photo by Joanie Harmon-Whetmore