Fresh faces lighting up Buford Center

There are a few new hires at the University of Findlay's Buford Center for Diversity and Service and they are excited for the future. Chris Caldwell began his work as the new senior director for international, intercultural, and service engagement at the Buford Center in early January, joined by Heather Smith, coordinator of international education and Maria Guarnieri, coordinator of diversity, inclusion and belonging. Program and Student Resource Coordinator Sarah Hartman joined the Buford Center in July. "It's been a great three weeks getting to know different departments across campus. I also graduated from the University of Findlay a long time ago so it's nice just to get back on campus, see how things have changed," said Guarnieri, who graduated in 2005. "I'm looking forward to getting to even making deeper connections across campus." These fresh faces, alongside Crystal Weitz, director of service and community engagement, and who has been with the university since 2006, plus three graduate assistants, are working to create more welcoming and diverse spaces on campus. "In my conversations with different departments around the campus, over the course of the last month, that's the constant refrain. 'We want to help. we want to be put in the game. We want our students to feel included. We want our faculty and staff to feel included,'" Caldwell recounted. "I think one of the reasons why I'm so excited is because Findlay is so excited." The five staff members members have a lot in store for the campus, some initiatives already being rolled out. They include like weekly movie showings this February, an upcoming exhibit in the Mazza Museum honoring Black History Month, as well as continuing the tradition of monthly Buford Dialogues. "It's good to look at some of the past programs that we've had, some that worked well. I think we're going to bring some back, try to improve them," Guarnieri said. "But also … (we) have some great ideas in our minds that we want to bring some new creative things to campus as well." Some other ideas bouncing around the walls of the Buford Center are book reading groups on campus and internationalization training. A specific idea Smith has been planning for the future is helping students broaden their experiences with different cultures without having to leave the United States. "Like cities nearby that have a little more diversity than Findlay," she said. "Having interactions within immigrant communities in those places to be able to kind of experience those cultures and have a little taste of that before deciding, 'Oh, I want to actually travel there.'" The quintet are also determined to bring back the widely popular International Night. The last time International Night was held in-person was in 2019, coinciding with its 50th anniversary. "Even if it's not this year it's coming; it's coming back," emphasized Smith. One of Caldwell's other big plans is to mold the Buford Center into a bridge from the university to the community. "I want Buford to be seen as a potential partner for the city of Findlay, for the surrounding area, Hancock County, and beyond it, if there are folks who are interested in enhancing their workspace, to be able to potentially recruit individuals who aren't heavily represented in that space," Caldwell said. The team is optimistic for what the future holds. "We have a lot of opportunities to be able to strike because the iron is hot, but we're also going to make the iron hot by striking it," Caldwell said. "We definitely want to be able to do some awesome stuff. I want the entire campus to be able to do a part as well."