Cultural & Affinity Spaces

Center for Multicultural Student Services (CMSS) and Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) have added cultural and identity spaces. Each area represents a different affinity group while their common purpose is to acknowledge and affirm the importance of intersecting identities and to promote interpersonal inclusion. We welcome all students in each space as we nurture a deeper sense of community through cultural exploration and collaboration.

These areas are meant to provide space and support for our identity-based organizations, and to allow for peer-to-peer relations to be fostered. Each space is created to invite students to express themselves, their cultures, and their organizations. We invite and encourage students to claim these areas as their own.

Kwyn Townsend Riley, Coordinator for Affinity & Cultural Spaces, serves as the direct point of contact and supports students with any requests or questions about the spaces. She can be reached at towns2ke@jmu.edu 

• The Black Student Lounge:
  Centers the voices, experiences, and realities of students who identify with the Black, African American, and/or African Diaspora community on campus.   

• The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Student Lounge:
  Connects and engages the community around the AAPI experience on campus. 

• The Latinx Student Lounge:
  Provides a space for students to engage in and learn about Latinx culture, heritage, and traditions on campus. 

• The Lavender Lounge:
  Provides a space for students in the LGBTQ+ community to center their experiences and voices.

• The CMSS SOGIE Intersecting Lounge:
  Our shared space, for all identities to feel invited and welcomed as they are.