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Latino-Native American Cultural Center newspaper clippings, 1970-2001
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DesMoinesRegister.com News Page 2 of 3 Several locations are under consideration for the new complex, Jones said. One would require the cultural centers to be razed. The university has bought many other houses on Melrose Avenue near the cultural centers. If the houses aren't demolished for the new complex, they probably would come down for some other future project, Jones said. "Minority needs should be planned into the future. You would simply be reacting if you waited to deal with this in the future," he said. "Plus, why would we, if we are serious about diversity, want to put students in a second-class facility?" The new complex would include separate centers for Asian, African-American, Latino and American Indian students, with a common area. Students protested the idea of moving two years ago when the university first asked for their comments. The battle will play out in the next two months leading to the October meeting of the state Board of Regents. **** Jones oversaw the creation of the Afro-American center when he joined the university in 1968. the center was created in reaction to student protests, he said. Asian students now make up the largest minority group on campus, but they lack their own cultural center. Having a center is a priority, and the new complex is a way to achieve that, said Jane Wu, co-president of the Asian American Coalition at the U of I. "It would gives better cohesion on campus and break the stereotypes about Asians," said Wu, 19, of Cedar Rapids. Cheree Rawlins, a junior and member of the Black Student Union, agrees that Asian students should have a center but doesn't feel the others should be moved. "They aren't established with a house, so that's great for the Asian coalition, but I think moving the two that are already well and standing is not a good idea," said Rawlins, 20, of Waterloo. Jones said it's time to put the centers in a more permanent setting that will feel more open to everyone, including white students. "The majority of students at the university have never had contact with a person of a nonwhite race" when they arrive, Jones said. Carlos Serration, assistant director of the Office for Student Life, which manages the cultural centers, said sentimentality runs high among students and alumni. http://desmoineregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/15589243.html 8/14/01
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DesMoinesRegister.com News Page 2 of 3 Several locations are under consideration for the new complex, Jones said. One would require the cultural centers to be razed. The university has bought many other houses on Melrose Avenue near the cultural centers. If the houses aren't demolished for the new complex, they probably would come down for some other future project, Jones said. "Minority needs should be planned into the future. You would simply be reacting if you waited to deal with this in the future," he said. "Plus, why would we, if we are serious about diversity, want to put students in a second-class facility?" The new complex would include separate centers for Asian, African-American, Latino and American Indian students, with a common area. Students protested the idea of moving two years ago when the university first asked for their comments. The battle will play out in the next two months leading to the October meeting of the state Board of Regents. **** Jones oversaw the creation of the Afro-American center when he joined the university in 1968. the center was created in reaction to student protests, he said. Asian students now make up the largest minority group on campus, but they lack their own cultural center. Having a center is a priority, and the new complex is a way to achieve that, said Jane Wu, co-president of the Asian American Coalition at the U of I. "It would gives better cohesion on campus and break the stereotypes about Asians," said Wu, 19, of Cedar Rapids. Cheree Rawlins, a junior and member of the Black Student Union, agrees that Asian students should have a center but doesn't feel the others should be moved. "They aren't established with a house, so that's great for the Asian coalition, but I think moving the two that are already well and standing is not a good idea," said Rawlins, 20, of Waterloo. Jones said it's time to put the centers in a more permanent setting that will feel more open to everyone, including white students. "The majority of students at the university have never had contact with a person of a nonwhite race" when they arrive, Jones said. Carlos Serration, assistant director of the Office for Student Life, which manages the cultural centers, said sentimentality runs high among students and alumni. http://desmoineregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/15589243.html 8/14/01
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