The University of Denver has stated it values Inclusive Excellence. Currently at the University of Denver, 2% of students identify as Black, 11% of students identify as Latinx, 4% of students identify as Asian, .359% of students identify as Indigenous and a little over 10% as Multiracial, International, and other. They represent a substantial minority in the University of Denver population. These students rely on identified affinity groups or campus departments to find spaces where they feel like they belong. Additionally these students take on the responsibility of educating large parts of the DU community on issues of culture, identity, belonging, social justice, and equity.

Affinity groups, the Cultural Center and the Access and Transitions Offices are some of the people and places that the BIPOC students often turn to in order find belonging and support. These offices and groups serve an important function in the overall wellness and retention of BIPOC students. However, they do so at a unreasonable cost. When these offices organize programing and events to serve these student populations and educational programs for the entire campus, they dispense a large amount of their budget on space reservations. The Access and Transitions office and The Cultural Center office each spend a significant amount of their budget every year to just reserve out rooms like Craig Hall or the SIE complex. Student Affinity groups have faced these financial struggles with their budget when hosting their events. The small budgets they receive each year is not sufficient to simultaneously serve the multiple functions they are called up to fulfill.

The student affinity groups on campus, The Cultural Center, and The Access & Transition office should be able to reserve those spaces for free. They should be able to spend money on the programming and other expenses, not on a space. Especially a space that doesn't welcome the BIPOC community to begin with. It is unjust that these groups and offices are doing the work of bringing cultural awareness and programing when large segments of the campus fail to do so. They have enough to deal with from this university. These two offices and student groups need these waivers for all future events. Thus, I am proposing that the school waive all future reservation/ space fees for events hosted by the student affinity groups on campus, the Cultural Center, and the Access & Transition office.