The Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center officially reopened March 30 to provide students with an inclusive, fun and safe space to hang out. 

“We are calling it HOMAGO, which means hang out, mess around and geek out,” said Allen Sutton, executive director for WSU’s Office of Outreach and Education. “We’re asking students to come in and just kind of experience the space.” 

The center is providing board games, TVs and various educational opportunities for students to use while they are there, he said.

Sutton said the center is partnering with the Mental Health Wellness Center to provide students with ways to cope with stress and anxiety, as well as raise awareness toward social justice issues.

“We’ve opened this space to give students as much freedom as possible with current restrictions,” he said.

The center is open at limited capacity, allowing 25 people in at a time. Sutton said staff members are constantly upholding COVID-19 sanitization guidelines so all who spend time there feel safe. 

If students do not want to hang out in the common room area, Sutton said there are several “knowledge rooms” that offer a more secluded feel. 

“Each [knowledge room] is dedicated to a different ethnicity or racial background. The walls and doors and art in there represent different things,” said Yubi Lojewski, social justice peer educator. 

Lojewski said she is happy the space is being used more than it has been. Previously, it was only used to hold large events. She encourages students who are looking for a new place to hang out and study to consider visiting the center in the future. 

“It is a really beautiful building,” Lojewski said. 

Sutton said students looking to visit the center can make reservations for time slots through the Office of Outreach and Education website. 

Nicklaus McHendry, social justice peer educator, said the center has provided the Office of Outreach and Education with an amazing place to further spread its messages and conduct its programs. 

“It’s a place that’s near and dear to my heart, in part, just because it’s such a beautiful and meaningful building,” he said. “There’s so much to look at, there’s so much to learn about.”