On Sept. 15, Weber State University’s radio station, KWCR, was moved from their original office space on the second floor of Shepherd Union. Though the transition was last-minute and there were those who felt underrepresented in the decision, KWCR has moved into their new space on campus.

KWCR’s previous office space was turned into a cultural center. Adrienne Andrews, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer, has been working with the WSU student chapter of NAACP and other on-campus diversity organizations to create a space for students who may feel underrepresented on campus.

According to collgefactual.com, WSU is 73.8% white, so diversity centers are important to represent the 26.2% of students who are not white. Students of color will be able to have a space on-campus they haven’t had before.

Professor Nathan Rodriguez, KWCR’s faculty advisor, was surprised after learning the news on Sept. 9, one week before the official eviction date. KWCR’s current space is only a fraction of the size that it was before.

Though having a space for students of color on campus is incredibly important, KWCR is still struggling with the displacement of the radio station.

“Things have become more complicated in terms of daily operations and events,” Rodriguez said. “Instead of everything being centrally located, our gear, merchandise and physical media are scattered across three buildings. We have to make sure the building is open, find someone with keys to unlock the room for us and then carry items across campus. A basic task that would take 30 seconds before the move might take closer to 30 minutes.”

Student leaders at KWCR have stepped up and dealt with the changing of spaces. KWCR has been juggling a national conference in Baltimore and hosting their first movie night while still dealing with the recent changes.

Though the process has been difficult and frustrating for all parties, these changes have allowed student leaders to step up and show their abilities. Both the students involved in the diversity center and KWCR have found ways to make things work.

“It would have been so easy for them to be upset about the situation, but in essence they looked directly at this oncoming storm, and said ‘is that all you’ve got?’ They’ve been amazing,” Rodriguez said.

The KWCR student leaders are not the only ones who have worked hard in the face of difficulty. Andrews pointed out that the diversity leaders on campus have been working hard in their efforts for a more inclusive campus.

“Terri Hughes and other student leaders are passionate about what they are working for, for them and other students,” Andrews said. “It has not gone unnoticed and will not be in vain.”