DePauw University alumni Justine and Darrianne Howard Christian, both class of 1995, have donated $500,000 to support renovations to the Association of African American Students (AAAS) house.
The AAAS is undergoing construction and will be rebuilt. The project is planned to be completed by the start of the 2017-2018 academic year. The AAAS house is located 310 Hannah Street, next to the Dorothy Brown Cultural Resource Center. The Dorothy Brown house is home to United DePauw, Committee for Latino Concerns, Asian American/ Pacific Islander Initiative and other cultural organizations.
For this school year, AAAS and the organizations that use the Dorothy Brown house have been moved to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, on Locust Street. The SAE house is being leased to DePauw for a limited time while the fraternities nationals plans to recolonize in fall of 2018.
“The University is making vital strides in its diversity and inclusion strategies, and we know the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow are living in a more diverse world,” said Justine Christian in a statement released by the University on Wednesday evening announcing the donation.