Credit: Jason Koski/Cornell University

A centrally located cultural center on the Cornell campus that serves the Asian and Asian-American community is one step closer to reality. On March 31 President David Skorton and other senior administrators expressed their support for the center at an Asian-American Community Forum in the Plant Science Building.

"I am supportive, and we are supportive, of creating an Asian and Asian-American community center," said Skorton. "I'm optimistic about this center, but we have three things to accomplish. We must continue an evidence-based approach; we need to listen to each other; and we need to create the details for how this center will work."

Skorton sat on a panel with students, alumni and faculty to discuss the implications of a new community center. The panelists discussed the history of the community center initiative at Cornell — including a resolution passed by the Student Assembly in November that called for such a center — and the necessary steps that must be taken to create it.

"The proposal for an Asian and Asian-American Community Center is both reasonable and necessary," said Professor James Turner, founding director of the Africana Studies and Research Center and a panel member. "It has been our experience that community is best facilitated when there is institutional support and stability."

Skorton noted that to take the vision further, "We need to have a serious working group that will recommend a working product." That working group will be headed by Dean of Students Kent Hubbell and will include student, faculty and staff members. It will recommend to the president such factors as the kind of programming the center may undertake, where it may be located, a budget and a timeline. The group's preliminary report is due by the end of the semester.

Members of the panel also discussed the 2004 Asian and Asian-American Campus Climate Task Force, which was charged with investigating the dissatisfaction that many Asian and Asian-American students report at Cornell and noted the lack of a meeting place for these students.

"This is a communitywide issue," said Linda Yu '08, a panel member. "The burden has fallen on students to campaign and educate others about the struggles of this community."

Added graduate student Nathan Shinagawa '05, also a panel member, "We are often moved by the negative incidents that occur, but the university recognizes the importance of creating community."

Cornell Deputy Provost David Harris closed the meeting by describing the recent work of the University Diversity Council and the ongoing search for the university's first chief diversity officer. He encouraged members of the community to submit feedback on the university's progress to diversityinput@cornell.edu.

Elan Greenberg '08 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.