DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa Afro-American Cultural Center, 1968-2009 | 1970-04-10 Memo: University of Iowa Reports on Black Center Page 3

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University of Iowa Afro-American Cultural Center, 1968-2009

1970-04-10 Memo: University of Iowa Reports on Black Center Page 3

THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA NEWS SERVICE

(U of I reports on black center--3)

" To take a culturally deprived student out of the ghetto and dump him on a campus of 18 or 25,000 white middle class students, even if special financial and academic aid is provided will not be enough. The cultural shock will be too much and the risk of increasing alienation and bitterness too great.
   " In a psychological sense we all have a need to be wanted and accepted. The needs culturally deprived students in a University will be indeed be great. They will no longer be in a familiar environmental setting. As a matter of fact, they will probably be in the most foreign environment they have encountered in their lifetime. The need to have a place to congregate is apparent."
   The committee said that a central gathering place " would provide a social gathering spot as well as a place for academic and personal assistance. The feeling of togetherness created by such a center will help overcome the otherwise foreign element of this new environment. It will allow for the development of friends in regular University setting provided through the dormitory housing and attendance in regular classes."  
    Since the Center opened--in a building on the central campus formerly housing the University News Service--Hubbard said the Center has developed a tradition which " provides stability and distinguishes it from other cultural assets on the campus."
    Administratively responsible to the Provost's Office, the Center is open to visitors throughout the day. The current operation is carried out by students under the direction of a manager, James Belcher, a student from Evanston, Ill., who lives at the Center.
    Several U of I faculty and staff members lend advice and assistance when called upon, and Hubbard's office is in constant contact with the Center through visits several times a week with Belcher or volunteers on his staff.
     U of I President Willard L. Boyd has said he is " strongly in favor" of the Center. He says he believes it has provided the opportunity for cultural enrichment in the University, and has been a significant addition to the progress of the U of I. 

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THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA NEWS SERVICE (U of I reports on black center--3) " To take a culturally deprived student out of the ghetto and dump him on a campus of 18 or 25,000 white middle class students, even if special financial and academic aid is provided will not be enough. The cultural shock will be too much and the risk of increasing alienation and bitterness too great. " In a psychological sense we all have a need to be wanted and accepted. The needs culturally deprived students in a University will be indeed be great. They will no longer be in a familiar environmental setting. As a matter of fact, they will probably be in the most foreign environment they have encountered in their lifetime. The need to have a place to congregate is apparent." The committee said that a central gathering place " would provide a social gathering spot as well as a place for academic and personal assistance. The feeling of togetherness created by such a center will help overcome the otherwise foreign element of this new environment. It will allow for the development of friends in regular University setting provided through the dormitory housing and attendance in regular classes." Since the Center opened--in a building on the central campus formerly housing the University News Service--Hubbard said the Center has developed a tradition which " provides stability and distinguishes it from other cultural assets on the campus." Administratively responsible to the Provost's Office, the Center is open to visitors throughout the day. The current operation is carried out by students under the direction of a manager, James Belcher, a student from Evanston, Ill., who lives at the Center. Several U of I faculty and staff members lend advice and assistance when called upon, and Hubbard's office is in constant contact with the Center through visits several times a week with Belcher or volunteers on his staff. U of I President Willard L. Boyd has said he is " strongly in favor" of the Center. He says he believes it has provided the opportunity for cultural enrichment in the University, and has been a significant addition to the progress of the U of I. -30-