With space in the Memorial Union now available, proponents of a multicultural center in the center of the ISU campus are turning their attention to fund raising and planning.

“Right now, the multicultural center is in the theoretical stage,” said Sarah Walter, director of student diversity for the Government of the Student Body.

By May, Walter said, she wants to convince GSB and the ISU Foundation to help fund the center, to begin to find donors, and to get a team together to help work on ideas.

The idea of a multicultural center was brought up about four and half years ago.

With renovations at the Union starting in November, the opportunity to actually establish the center is closer to reality.

One of the goals for renovating the Union is to make it more student-oriented.

The multicultural center has reserved Room 164 in the Union, where the ISU Alumni Association was located before it moved to Fisher-Nickell Hall.

Walter said the university doesn’t need the area for more office space, so, with the help of Richard Reynolds, director of the Memorial Union, they were able to secure the space.

“As long as we’re able to raise funding for the multicultural center, the university won’t change its mind about letting us stay in the MU,” Walter said.

Iowa State could take the space away from the center if not enough funding is raised, Walter said.

The area in the union where the center will be located is 3,500 square feet.

Walter said the renovation will cost around $170 per square foot. The renovation is estimated to cost $600,000 for the multicultural center alone.

“This is a high estimate; the MU has a skilled maintenance staff and will be able to do most of the renovation,” Walter said.

“Without the cost of hiring contractors, we will hopefully be under the $600,000 estimate.”

The multicultural center’s biggest obstacle is funding — but Walter said it would be worth the money to add diversity to the university.

It will be a welcoming center for all students who are interested in diversity, which means more than minorities, Walter said.

“Diversity is the diversity of thoughts,” she said.

A multicultural forum is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

The forum is for people to discuss what students want in their multicultural center.

Walter said it would be good to know if students would even want a multicultural center.

“I want people to speak out,” Walter said.