Cultural center houses a mosiac of perspectives for learning

by Kari Koehler

Students will be happy to know that they can absorb a wealth of information about different cultures without ever having to set foot in the library.

The Carver Cultural Center at 709 North D Street houses multicultural students and celebrates the individual differences of a variety of cultures.

“The Carver House is a cultural center for multi-cultural students to come and hang out and get support from each other,” said junior Amber Rumley.

The students living in the house are members of Concerned Multicultural Students, a group that wants to get its name out on campus and have its voice heard loud and clear.

The building also serves as an educator. CMS’s purpose as a group is to spread cultural diversity to the Simpson campus by introducing students to a somewhat more worldly view. Currently there are four people that live in the Carver House.

“Four is the maximum. It switches each year, either four women or four men live in the house,” said Rumley.

To live in the house students have to be a member of CMS, have a GPA of at least 2.5 and complete 15 service hours each semester. This last requirement is one of the more recent ones.

“Before, there were no service hours required, but now that thehouse has taken more of a theme house quality they were added,” said Rumley.

Though the Carver Cultural Center has changed in some respects as if it were a typical theme house, students living there emphasize that it has a different atmosphere.

“We’re seen more as a theme house, though we still like to retain our qualities as a center,” said sophomore Shristi Upreti.

One of the biggest things they learn from each other is cooking. The students living in the house tend to learn all sorts of different dishes from other cultures by cooking together.

CMS recently held a barbeque on Sept. 26 and is in the process of planning a multicultural fashion show to be held in Great Hall.

And though the group is called Concerned Multicultural Students, anyone is welcome to join or attend meetings, which are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Carver House.

Their goal for the year: to spread culture to the campus.