New Spaces on Campus
The construction of Carleton’s Multicultural Center and Neil House were both completed in Fall 2024 and their doors were fully opened in Winter 2025. These spaces are a fulfillment of goals outlined in Carleton’s 2012 Strategic Plan, an important component of the Community Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, and a reflection of generations of Carleton student advocacy. These spaces are open to all members of the campus community!
Where are the new buildings located?
The new buildings are located near the corner of 1st St E and Union St S, adjacent to the Division St N townhouses and along the walking path that leads from Musser Hall to downtown Northfield. The illustration shows where on the current Carleton map the buildings are, along with a zoomed in image of how the new buildings look in that area.
The Multicultural Center is located on the lower floor of the Union Street 2 building and the community gathering space in Neil House is the lower level of the Union Street 1 building; named for the Reverend Earl Neil ’57.
The second level of the Union Street 2 building is home to three new townhouse-style residential living spaces, occupied by OIL’s sponsored Cultural House Communities: La Casa del Sol, Carleton’s Indigenous Community, and the Cultural House for Asian Identities (CHAI). Freedom House, OIL’s fourth Cultural House Community lives on the second floor of Neil House. You can learn more about OIL’s Cultural House Communities here on our website.
When are these buildings open?
Both the Multicultural Center and Neil House are open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. and from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Winter Term Finals
The MCC will be open until midnight beginning on March 9 and extending to March 16.
Can I reserve any spaces in these buildings?
The large conference room in the Multicultural Center, the kitchen, and the 6 person meeting room with audio-visual support can be reserved through Campus Scheduling’s 25Live system. All other spaces are open to the community to use without reservations.
None of the spaces in Neil House, including the conference room, can be reserved and will simply be first-come, first-serve.
Are there any professional staff in the building?
There are no staff offices in either the Multicultural Center or Neil House, but a team of student building supervisors will be present regularly throughout operating hours, including weekend days. These spaces are intended to be for the students and Carleton community first and foremost.
How can my organization use or access the student organization storage?
Anytime you see a member of the student building supervisor team at the front desk you may ask them to help you get access to one of three storage rooms developed specifically for student organization storage. If you are not sure which room your organization has storage in, the supervisor team has a spreadsheet that should help them look up which room your org has storage in and where to find it once inside.
If your organization would like to use the MCC storage please speak to Marshall about your involvement with the Cultural Programming Board and how you can help elevate culturally-driven programming here at Carleton.
Although student worker shifts are not guaranteed to cover all times of day, the most likely time to access storage are listed below:
- Monday-Friday: 5 – 10pm
- Weekends: Inconsistent at this time but opening (10am – 12pm) and closing (7pm – 10pm) shifts are your best chance at getting access
- If you need access at an earlier time during the Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm hours, please contact Marshall directly to arrange an appointment
What are the hours during Breaks?
Winter Break 2025: The MCC and Lower Neil will be open from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on week days. These spaces will not be open on weekends during Winter Break. If you are in need of a public kitchen space we encourage you to partner with Dacie Moses.
Winter Break Closures: The Multicultural Center and Lower Neil will be fully closed beginning November 26 and will reopen during Winter Break starting on December 8. Additionally, these two spaces will be fully closed from 12/15 – 12/19 and 12/24 – 12/26. Thank you for your understanding.
Spring Break 2026:
March 17 – March 29: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Spring Break Closures: The MCC will be closed for cleaning at some point during spring break for two days. Those days will be finalized soon and updated here.
Multicultural Center
Features:
- A large conference room built around state of the art audio-visual technology. It is capable of entertaining events up to 64 people, or closer to 40 seated comfortably. A drop down projector screen can be connected to either with direct cabling or wirelessly. This space includes cameras for streaming abilities, assisted-listening technology, and easy to configure tables to allow for creative layouts. This room can be reserved through 25Live.
- A 6 person meeting room with audio-visual connection and a large display that can be reserved for individuals and small groups through 25Live.
- An 8 person flex/meeting room equipped with two large whiteboards and easy to configure tables and chairs that will function on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- A printer available for community use set up for “tap-and-release” jobs with OneCards.
- Three storage spaces for student organizations to use. Access to these spaces will be limited during certain hours and the student supervisors at the front desk will have the key. For now, if you need access to items for your student organization, please reach out to Marshall Bell to arrange a meeting time during working hours.
- A large industrial sized kitchen featuring two stove and oven combinations, two microwaves, a large compartment sink, and two refrigerators. Please note that the refrigerators are cleaned out Wednesdays at 10:00 AM!
Neil House (Lower Level)
Features:
- A fully stocked spice and sauce cabinet, accessible to all members of the Carleton community.
- A barbers chair and work space for Carleton’s visiting barber.
- A lounge with an assortment of board games.
- A 12-person conference room with audio-visual connection and a large display. This room cannot be reserved and will function as first-come, first-serve for use.