Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

Is the World Cup connected to well-being? In the updated space for the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center, the answer is: yes.

Among the services MEC provides are academic support and coaching, cultural exploration and multi-ethnic education. And over the past six years, the number of underrepresented students served by MEC has tripled.

Another resource provided for students is a place to gather, study or just be. The space MEC calls home had no functional upgrades in 10 years, but part of the recent MEC Refresh included ensuring the space continues to meet the needs of its students.

"Thanks to the One Day, One Dayton funds, MEC has been able to transform our MEC lounge, or what we like to call our family room," said Camila Sánchez-González, a senior biology major.

While the majority of the One Day, One Dayton MEC funds went toward grants to students for experiential learning expenses, funds were also allocated to provide upgraded technology for the MEC family room as part of the MEC Refresh. For example, a new monitor replaced an old broken projector and whiteboard. Students use the monitor daily for multiple purposes, like giving presentations or watching movies.

"You can tell the value of the space based on the appearance of the space, and we want to make sure when students come here that they understand they're valued in that," said Merida Allen, associate dean of students and executive director for MEC.

So what does all this have to do with the World Cup and well-being? Whether one calls it soccer or football, the World Cup, which takes place every four years, is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. And Flyers are among those donning team gear and cheering in front of the new monitor in the MEC family room.

"They're watching World Cup soccer and also building community — for some students, even across cultures," said Allen. "We're seeing students come in culturally like 'my team, my country. This is my sport.'"

While students were in the space to watch the matches, staff members took the opportunity to chat with them, asking about their classes, the holidays and their well-being, building relationships and learning how to best assist students. "The student focuses everything we do," said Allen.

"The student focuses everything we do."

And the staff continually works to know what students need, through talking with them and conducting assessments. Feedback from students in 2019 indicated they wanted upgrades to the space, including painting the walls. So MEC again utilized One Day, One Dayton funds to add a fresh coat of paint to the walls as the students requested.

"Given the new technology and paint updates, it has allowed for students to use the space more efficiently and frequently," said Sánchez-González. "It's amazing the impact that a few renovations can do to a space as special as MEC."