LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD
KU EDITION
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1996 25B
RENÉE KNOELBER/JOURNAL-WORLD PHOTO
Gloria Flores, the associate director of minority affairs, handles the programming and staffing of the Multicultural Resource Center on campus.
Center offers students a view of world culture
- Officials at KU's Multicultural Resource Center hope to offer something to all students.
BY GWEN OLSON SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL-WORLD
Inside the small white building known as the Military Science Annex, students are offered a chance to see the world and its many cultures. The building houses the Kansas University Multicultural Resource Center.
The center had its share of difficulties getting started. The idea came from a group of students who petitioned the Student Senate in 1991 to consider creating the center. The center was approved in 1994, and after funding problems were resolved, the center had its grand opening in September 1995.
"The center is open for a variety of usages," said Gloria Flores, associate director of minority affairs and coordinator of the center. "It is used for studying, meeting space and some classes."
The center is also available for students to use as a resource. The center has its own reading room, computer room, two study rooms, a conference room and a small auditorium. It is visited by about 30 to 40 students each day.
The reading room contains a small collection of books ranging from cultural stories and folk tales to a collection of Shakespeare's plays. The center hopes to acquire more books soon.
"We have had several contributions this year. Now that the center is going, we will try to set up a fund to get more resource materials." Flores said.
Students can use the computers for homework, projects, or just to surf the Internet. There is also no charge for printing on the laser printer.
Study rooms, or dialogue rooms, are available to students anytime. They can be used for study groups or just for hanging out.
Although the center is affiliated with the Office of Minority Affairs, the two are not the same. The center is for all students so that they can learn from other students about diversity.
"We try to do things to help the students who come in," said Niraj Kapur, an Overland Park senior and undergraduate student assistant at the center. "We aren't strict here because the center is run by students. We sometimes accommodate meetings, and people often have us come to events to tell what the center offers."
According to its mission statement, the center was established "to promote an educational environment that recognizes and celebrates the diverse composition of the Lawrence Campus population."
Within the last year, the center has co-sponsored several events for students. The center works
The computer room holds four Macintosh computers that are equipped with Netscape for surfing the Internet, as well as a black and white laser printer and a color scanner. The center hopes to get a couple of IBM computers when funding is available.
mostly with other organizations on campus.
"The hardest thing is getting people to realize this is not just a place for minorities," said Nicolas Shump, Lawrence graduate student and graduate assistant for the center. "With many groups there isn't a lot of mixing of cultures. We try to be open for all students. We feel that everybody has a cultural history and that everyone can learn from each other."
One event co-sponsored by the center and Student Union Activities was Denny Dent and his Two-Fisted Art Attack in October,
1995.
During this show, Dent painted a spectacular portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which was donated to the center. The portrait is now in the process of being framed by the art department and will soon be hung at the center.
The center is open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
"We hope to be an added resource to the student body." Flores said. "Our goal is to reach everyone."
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