Asian American Center prepares for debut

Smells of fresh paint and new carpet immediately greet visitors to NIU’s new Asian American Center, located in the newly renovated Jacobs House at 429 Garden Road.

Friendly student workers are eager to give tours of the building and its 1,400 square feet of usable room, which continues to fill with wall decorations, furniture, equipment and supplies in preparation for its Friday, Oct. 15, “preview” to the public from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The opening of the center’s temporary home comes two years after NIU President John Peters announced his hope to acquire space and resources on campus for the Asian American Center, a goal put forth by the Presidential Task Force on Asian Americans.

It’s a defining moment in the university’s history, said F. Michelle Bringas, the center’s first director.

“While NIU joins the ranks of other Illinois schools that are in the process of establishing Asian American centers,” Bringas said, “we are taking the lead in establishing the first stand-alone Asian American center in the northern Illinois region. This is a visible space our students can call their home.”

“I’m proud of the efforts of Michelle Bringas and the Presidential Task Force on Asian Americans that have turned this dream of so many into a reality. Here our Asian American students will find a sense of community within the larger NIU family,” Peters said. “I believe it’s important for great universities like ours to provide the kind of academic and meaningful social experiences that shape dynamic adults, and the NIU Asian American Center promotes both those ideals well.”

Now the goal turns from finding a physical headquarters to offering Asian American students an inclusive place to gather, to study and to unite, whether in search of comfort from a common bond or to cultivate a stronger voice on campus.

“It would be the greatest thing for me to hear a couple years from now, at orientation or New Student Welcome Days, a student say, ‘I came to Northern because I heard NIU supports Asian American students,’ ” Bringas said. “I want students to find a welcoming atmosphere, and to feel this is their home. That’s what brings joy to my heart.”

NIU enrolls about 2,000 students of Asian American heritage, some of whom will help to determine the uses of the building.

Bringas already plans to host academic gatherings as well as workshops on careers, diversity awareness, leadership and professional development.

The center also will seek to implement a community and alumni mentor program to support the educational experience of future leaders. It hopes to boost student recruitment by serving as a focal point for high school visits, and will assist in the leadership development of NIU’s 15 to 20 Asian American student organizations by offering space for advisement.

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NIU Sociology Professor George Kourvetaris will premiere the latest video installment of the Paideia Projects, an educational series on classical Greek topics, at an upcoming dinner reception in the northwest suburbs.

The reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Wellington Banquet Hall, 2121 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights.

The video presentation, titled “On the Origin of Freedom in Ancient Greece,” shows how the Ancient Greeks fought the Persians at Marathon, Salamis and Plataiai for their freedom and independence, making parallels to American freedom fighters.

Kourvetaris, who wrote the script, is founder of the Paideia Projects. The series of a planned 14 educational videos aims to highlight the contributions of Ancient Greece to world civilization. The Paideia Projects produced its first video last year on the birth of democracy.

The fee for the Oct. 17 reception is $45 with a special rate of $35 for NIU students and staff. The reception will include appetizers, an open bar, dinner, folk dancing, a book exhibit and a video presentation. Call (815) 758-4088 or (847) 296-6223 for reservations or more information.