Earlier this month, Moorpark College marked the opening of the new Equity Hub with a ceremony celebrating the significance of the space and why the room is needed on campus.

Located in the Student Services Annex, room 111A, the hub is part of a Student Equity Plan drafted in September 2022, with specific goals and objectives tied to its conception.

Moorpark College President Julius Sokenu spoke at the opening ceremony on Nov. 8 and discussed the influence and importance of the room on campus.

“Students are the center of all the work we do,” Sokenu said. “Particularly of importance to us, the leadership of the college, is the students who may not always be at the center, students who tend to be marginalized, students who do not have the experience of family who have been to college, so that they can pass down knowledge to them, those are the students who we want to create space where they are not only welcomed and have a sense of belonging, but a space where they can succeed.”

As outlined in the Student Equity Plan, the space endeavors to bridge the gap between Latino and Black students by 20% in various vectors, such as successful enrollment, completion of transfer-level math and English, the persistence of their first primary term to a secondary term and transfer rates.

The space serves as a multi-year inter-department effort funded through a variety of grants, resources and opportunities by departments such as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, student services, counseling and other administrators who believed in the need for a space for students.

“This is an equity space, it’s a space for Black and African-American students, a space for Latinx students, it’s a space for LGBT students, it’s really a space for students who are not in the center, and that is defined by students,” said Sokenu. “If we say we’re doing equity, that we’re doing equity with intention, then we’ve got to walk it, and this is one of the ways in which we walk it.”

Sokenu shared that this space serves to be a place for students to decompress, study, eat, recuperate between classes and converse with staff to share knowledge and experiences.

Jackelyn Mezagariba, a former alum of Moorpark College and current EOPS tutor, shared her thoughts on the Equity Hub opening.

“As a student worker, I’ve been starting to see more of a development in the diversity of our students, with Latinx Club and the Black Student Union, and I feel like this space builds upon that and is comparable to spaces I’ve seen once I transferred and I’m glad it’s something here,” Mezagariba said. “I will definitely refer students to this space.”

The sense of community fostered by the Equity Hub was highlighted frequently at the ceremony, with the space being intended for students to “hang out” and spend time in a place solely devoted to socializing.

Persephone Vinolus, a student present at the opening, shared how she felt about the new space.

“I could see myself coming here between classes. It has couches and I can sit and just do whatever, it’s more comfortable than sitting in Fountain Hall or the cafeteria,” Vinolus said.

The intent of the Equity Hub is more than a space for students to spend time – it’s a continuation of the efforts for diversity the campus strives towards. Moorpark College is taking steps towards creating an equitable space for every student, especially those not at the center, and the hope is that the hub becomes a space of activity, shared knowledge and community.

The Equity Hub is now open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Student Services Annex room 111A.