UC Berkeley has quietly locked the doors of the Multicultural Community Center inside the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, abruptly cutting student staff and interns off from a key space they say anchors their organizing and community work. There was no broad announcement, and several student workers say they only realized the center was closed when they arrived to find it suddenly inaccessible. The shutdown has sent programs scrambling into other campus hubs while students press administrators for a firm plan to reopen.
As first reported by The Daily Californian, interns say administrators directed that politically themed art and signage be removed from the MCC windows and walls and did not tell student staff that the space would then be closed indefinitely. Student interns told the paper they were blindsided when they found the locks in place. One intern, Mila Gonzales, said, "We had no idea" when asked how the closure was communicated. According to the paper, those accounts triggered a scramble as student staff turned to campus offices and peers for help in relocating events to other locations.
University listing shows MCC closed for the summer
The Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement lists the Multicultural Community Center as closed for Summer 2025 on its Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement website, noting that the MCC had limited operations earlier in the year while staff roles were adjusted. The EJCE page describes the MCC as a student-led space located in the MLK Jr. Student Union and indicates it was last updated in June 2025. The campus contact listed there remains the main channel for students seeking details about programming or staff support while the center is closed.
Students shift programming to other campus centers
With the MCC locked, interns and career staff have been holding meetings and events at other campus resource centers, according to reporting from The Daily Californian. The article notes that staff have leaned on EJCE partner spaces, including the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center, to rebook programming and keep services available while their home base stays off-limits.
University spokesperson Dan Mogulof told the paper that the decision to close the MCC was not prompted by any "external action or inquiry." He said campus leaders are using the pause for a review and reformulation of the MCC policies and practices, with a target of reopening the center at the beginning of spring.
What filing a report with OPHD entails
Student staff members told reporters they filed a report with UC Berkeley’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD), the campus unit responsible for receiving complaints involving discrimination and harassment and overseeing available resolution options. OPHD public materials explain that complaints can result in alternative resolutions, focused educational responses, or formal investigations, depending on the circumstances and who is involved. The office also offers safety and supportive measures for those who come forward. Students looking for information about reporting or support can find resource descriptions and contact information on OPHD’s website.
Students and campus advocates say the university owes the community clearer notice about the closure and a concrete reopening date for a space many describe as essential to multicultural life at Cal. Administrators say a review is underway and maintain that the MCC is a priority for reopening. In the meantime, student staff are keeping programs alive across campus while continuing to push the university for transparent next steps.
