Over the past few years, the Center for Multicultural Life (CML) at Bowdoin has experienced significant staffing turnover. Two years ago, the Inaugural Director of Multicultural Life Benjamin Harris left the College, and after her first semester as Director of Multicultural Life, Kyra Green departed from the College.

On December 20, 2021, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Diversity and Director of the Sexuality, Women and Gender Center Kate Stern announced in an email to the student body that Eduardo Pazos will transition from his role as the director of the Rachel Lord Center to become the director for Multicultural Life. He will continue to serve as assistant dean of student affairs for inclusion and diversity.

“I was excited about the opportunity to move into multicultural life,” Pazos said. “[Already] it’s been a lot of fun getting to know people, getting to see how they’re growing, how their goals are shifting, again to support them holistically, not just in an academic sense, but to see different aspects of life that they want to share. That’s been really, really cool,” Pazos said.

Pazos is eager to embrace the differences from his past role as he moves into his new position.

“The work of religious life is really different from the work of multicultural life,” Pazos said. “I am really, really excited to work specifically with our [person of color] (P.O.C.) students on campus, with students of the global majority … and continue to improve the work to make sure that all of our students—students of color, black and brown students—feel like they belong at Bowdoin, feel represented, feel centered … Their traditions, their culture and the amazing contributions that they bring to the table are very much part of what makes Bowdoin so special.”

Pazos will also be in charge of supervising religious and spiritual life as well as the search for the next director of the Rachel Lord center.

Assistant Director of THRIVE Kalan Lewis will serve as the interim associate director of the CML through spring break. To help with his transition, Lewis will split his time between THRIVE and the CML.

“While [the two roles] definitely have certain aspects and are separate, I think they do have a nice mixture because THRIVE students … also interact with the CML,” Lewis said. “I’m getting a chance to do a little bit more in this role.”

In his new role, Lewis will serve as an unofficial mentor for students, and he aims to meet and connect with more students on campus.

On Wednesday, the College closed the job posting for the next director of the Rachel Lord Center and are in the process of reviewing resumes for the position. Pazos believes that the pool of applicants is strong and is looking forward to mentoring the person who will succeed him.