“You bring someone to your house, you give them respect, you give them hospitality and that includes food.”

The University campus is sprawling with people from all areas of the world and all walks of life. According to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, just on this campus, international students compose 23.2 percent of the study body. There are also around 112 different countries and ethnicities represented.SO

Because of this cultural diversity, the University is home to six cultural centers on campus with the purpose of celebrating and learning about the various distinct traditions each uphold. From the Native American House, La Casa Cultural Latina, to the Asian American Cultural Center, there are a variety of resources and events for students to take part in. SO

Native American House

The Native American House sits on Nevada Street on the Urbana side of campus. 

The Native American House collaborates with the American Indian community across Illinois. The house itself practices environmental consciousness, winning a Green Office award in 2015.SO

However, the Native American House is not just another building with an address on campus. It provides food, hospitality and a welcoming ambiance not just for the culture it represents, but also to anyone who walks in.

While the programs facilitate discussions on a wide array of topics, on March 4, around 15 people attended a talk by Norman Whitten Jr., an anthropology professor at the University. SO (Website says event had 28 views)

Whitten discussed the Amazonian Ecuador and the emerging modernity among the indigenous population. He talked about the modernizing ideas of native tribes in the Amazon.SO

All of the houses plan lunch time events, called “Lunch on Us,” in hopes to bring light to the issues facing the campus community and to advocate for social justice issues across cultures. They also try to bring in new speakers especially from the teaching faculty to expose students to the various departments and areas of study available across campus.SO

The “Indigenous Modernity in the Amazonian Ecuador” were just a few of last week’s topics. The upcoming lunchtime topics are all hosted by the University.SO

The University’s Native American House longs to highlight the issues facing various groups as well as bring about an inclusive community. 

La Casa Cultural Latina

Right opposite of the Native American House is La Casa Cultural Latina.

Like the Native American House, La Casa Cultural Latina has a lunch-time program usually held on Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. Some of the upcoming programs include speaker Marielisbet Lisa Perez, graduate student in the College of Education who will talk about “Celebrating Mothers in Academia.”SO

The events are planned to expose students to Latino cultures within the academic society and to introduce students to issues affecting any ethnic group. 

Vicki Ortiz, senior in FAA and member of the faculty at La Casa, said the target issue at the current moment is educating students about the MAP grant as well as the importance of voting for the Latino voice. Vicky also said La Casa prioritizes comfort because not everyone has a home on campus.

At the end of every lunch-time presentation, students and the community are able to provide feedback and even give input on what future topics they want to see. Once a month, La Casa also hosts a similar program to “Lunch On Us,” but serves dinner instead of lunch, appropriately called “Dinner on Us.”SO

These cultural houses are not just there for the celebration of heritage. On the door’s window of La Casa, a sign hangs, reading “Refugees Welcome” with the symbol of a family. The cultural center longs to offer safe havens for refugees, study spaces for students or just a place to relax.

Asian American Cultural Center

Also on the same row is the Asian American Cultural Center on Nevada Street.

Like the other two cultural houses, the Asian American Cultural Center uses a similar lunch program called “Food for Thought” as a tool to facilitate discussion between both the speaker and the audience.SO

Jacob Chacko, a graduate assistant at the center, said in addition to the lunch program, the center works with the community as well as at least 50 University student organizations to plan these events. Chacko said the Cultural Center is as much a medium for the students to learn and participate as it is for the speakers to feature their works.

On April 12, Korean-American author Catherine Chung will be featuring her new novel “Forgotten Country,” detailing the sisterhood and struggles of a woman. She will present during the lunch-time series as well as during the Asian American Cultural Center Book Club. SO

This is just one of the many different events the cultural center hosts, as Chacko added that “there are so many vast cultures and societies” and “so many passions within the community.” They target their programs around interactivity and engagement.

That’s where their other programs come in, which are open to the Urbana-Champaign community as well as the University community. One event, for example, is “Chai Time,” held every Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. where anyone can come have a discussion, play board games and unwind from the long daySO.

Overall, Chacko hopes students take away a message. 

“Whether these students come because they’re passionate about these topics or it be because they are interested in learning about these topics or even if they’re coming because of the free lunch, there is still an interest there,” Chacko said. 

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