Northeastern Illinois University broke ground Nov. 24 on the expansion of the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs.
Attended by President Sharon Hahs, Vice President for Student Affairs Frank Ross, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Guardia and Angelina Pedroso herself, the ceremony kicked off an expansion to include the women’s resource center and LGBTQA resource center, which currently are housed in separate offices.
“The expansion of the Pedroso Center is important for women students,” Ross said. “It is important for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. It is important for all students.”
The project also will create additional programming space for students, a gender-inclusive restroom and a lactation room.
“Our Pedroso Center will continue to evolve to match the needs of our Northeastern Illinois University community,” Hahs said.
The majority of construction inside the Pedroso Center will occur during late spring and early summer to allow for minimal disruption. The project is expected to be complete prior to the fall 2015 semester.
“We cannot wait for this expansion to open next year,” Guardia said.
The Pedroso Center seeks to engage all students at Northeastern to create and sustain a culture of inclusivity across the boundaries of culture, sexual orientation, gender, and other social identities.
