Olivia Descilien
Connector Contributor

To foster an inclusive and supportive campus environment, the University of Massachusetts Lowell is taking the steps necessary to create a safe space where both students and staff can feel valued, respected and supported. 

The university’s commitment is reflected in the five pillars of excellence, specifically prioritizing one of the commitments to create an “Inclusive Culture and Climate.” This initiative aims to “Create an inclusive environment where individuals and groups can feel welcomed, valued, respected and supported to thrive on campus,” which serves as the step for the ongoing efforts to encourage and ensure the entire campus community feels safe and secure. 

Many students measure the success of these goals in the smallest interactions, specifically, in the classroom. Valerie Ramirez, a freshman double-majoring in Criminal Justice and Political Science, expresses how the atmosphere of a room changes the moment a professor can acknowledge a student by their name.  

“I feel like the more persistent they are in learning everyone’s name… It feels very involving,” Ramirez says. “I think it helps students feel more comfortable and they often perform better.” 

Anya Barros, a freshman majoring in Psychology, has experienced this shift firsthand in a psychology course. Rather than the traditional lecture, her professor “opened up the floor,” making everyone get into a circle to share personal stories and answers. 

“She really opened up the space for us to speak,” Barros says. “It was a very quiet class, just a lot of the speaking and some people would raise their hands and comment about things but I found that after that class more people raised their hands to comment or speak out and people were more active in the class.” 

While faculty is known to set the initial atmosphere on campus, for some students, they find a real sense of safety in student-led organizations. For Barros, groups like the Black Student Union (BSU) and various social clubs reflect the Five pillars in reality. These driven student-led spaces provide the voice and connection that the policies of administration alone cannot reach. 

“I feel like having more student-led things like the student-led clubs and stuff they definitely give students a voice,” Barros said. “We even see what having a voice within our community does, it helps, so I think having clubs like that makes a difference.” 

This ability for students to take charge is what makes a massive university feel like a close-knit community. Ramirez notes that while faculty and staff “often makes the school run smoothly,” the core of UMass Lowell is defined by the student body itself. “There’s no college without the students,” she observed, adding that even the simple presence of others working toward the same goal provides a “comforting” atmosphere. 

For the student-led spaces to thrive, they require a foundation of dependable university resources. Tatyana Pierre, a Graduate Fellow in Public Health, emphasizes that a truly inclusive climate is maintained by staff who are willing to stick with a student until a solution is found. 

“If a student approaches me about a struggle they’re facing, just being able to stick with them through their struggles and follow up with them to see if the issue had gotten any better or worse,” Pierre explained. 

She notes that the strength of the community depends on connecting students to “resources that will actually help them,” rather than those that “turn them down” or fail to answer them in a timely manner. According to Pierre, The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), The Wellness Center, and Tutor Services are essential because they provide the timely responses and “academic success” support that students need to feel like they belong. 

She believes this type of personal support is what makes university feel safe and trustworthy. According to Pierre, OMA acts as a partner that helps students navigate their entire college journey. By staying involved in a student’s academic career and goals, the office proves the university is truly invested in student’s futures. This consistent support ensures that the students’ voices are not only heard but are used to keep the campus culture safe and welcoming for everyone. 

Creating a sense of belonging often comes down to the willingness to slow down and engage. According to Amy Liss, the Director of Office of Multicultural Affairs, building a safe campus is less about checking off a list of goals and more about fostering a culture where staff and students can be authentically themselves. 

 “Being seen, heard, and understood is important,” Liss said, noting that she often shares stories about their own family and dog to stay grounded. “Seeing our students as human and also being human… it feels sort of universal.” 

Her advice for the campus is to “slow down” and remain curious about one another. She compares the building of community to a “chain link” that starts with a single person–a roommate or a classmate–and expands into a long-life network. 

As UMass Lowell continues to evolve, the goal remains where the five pillars are not just words on a website, but a lived reality. For Ramirez, the ideal version of this is “where everyone can laugh together,” learn and feel respected as individuals. 

Liss agrees, noting that the work of inclusion is never truly “checked off” a list. “There’s no limit to growth,” she concluded. “The world is always changing. Where can we evolve? There’s always an opportunity.”