Multi-Cultural center? What Multi-Cultural center? How about Penn Valley's own Multi-Cultural Center, located across from the Academic Computer Lab in room 207 of the Learning Resources building.

The Multi-Cultural Center handles most international student admissions and enrollment, as well as coordinating cultural activities. Penn Valley's Cultural Awareness Resource Coordinator, Bobbie Gustin, along with her assistant, Brooks Mabry, has created a new resource center inside the Multi-Cultural Center for student use.

Students can come into the Multi-Cultural Center to research cultural topics or pick up information on HIV/AIDS and utility assistance. Gustin and Mabry felt that combining the Multi-Cultural Center with the new resource center would not only increase student visits, but would provide a modicum of privacy for students who don't want to share their issues with virtual strangers.

"Students can come in and find cultural information on topics like the tribal wars in Kenya. The hope is to bring the Multi-Cultural Center back to life through the new resource center," Gustin said.

The resource center was funded through an Action Plan Committee. Every year the district receives an allotment of funds, and awards small grants to schools that have a specific idea that they would like to implement. The funds are then distributed to different campuses based on submitted grant proposals.

"We write up proposals for different things we would like, we put it all together with a cost sheet, and then we pitch it [the idea] to the Action Plan Committee," said Gustin. Mabry and Gustin compiled their information from a community resource book used by Penn Valley counselors when students come to them with needs for various services.

"A student can come in if they have an issue. They can privately grab some resources and go on... The resources here are fewer than the resources in the library, but we have resources that our library may not have," Gustin said. Resources offered include information about HIV/AIDS, utility assistance, career exploration, grief counseling, and others topics important to students.

"Seeing people still come back to class when you know they have come in and picked up a card about being abused - that is about as successful as it gets," Gustin said.

"A lot of times, they may not say anything if they come in to grab a card. I can understand if you have a personal issue that you don't want everyone to know about. That's one thing about having it over here versus in the counseling center - there is less traffic. You can walk in, easily see what topic you're looking for, pick your card up, and go."

Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College