Hampshire College

The Office of Multicultural & International Student Services extends its sympathy to all of those affected by the horrific earthquake in Haiti.  Our thoughts are with those who have family and friends in Haiti. Click here for more information about extending your support for aid and relief efforts.

Fostering Community and Social Change since 1989

The Lebron-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center as a SOURCE for Change: Celebrating 20 years
March 5-6, 2010
"Multiracial Strategies for Advancing Racial Justice" Workshop for the Five College Community

Cultural Center Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Saturday, October 17, 2009 as part of Family and Friends Weekend
1:30–3:00 p.m., Kahlo Gallery, Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center
The underlying mission of the Cultural Center over the last twenty years has been social change. At this session, multicultural students, faculty, and alums will discuss and share their work to effect social change through arts and activism. Additionally, an exhibit of stories about the Cultural Center from alumni, students, and faculty will be shown. The Cultural Center invites the campus to join in the celebration of its founding.

Monday, October 26, 2009
3:30-4:30 p.m.
A celebration and commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center with the dedication of the new "dialogue" area, a bench and tree in the back yard of the center. *On October 26, 1989 the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center officially opened its doors.

 

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MISSION
To better serve and retain students of color and international students, the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center provides a range of programs and resources to support and promote the success of students of color and international students at Hampshire College.   

Additionally, the center provides programs and resources to the larger campus community for engagement in issues related to race, culture, and under-representation, with the underlying goal to effect social change.

We enhance our longstanding commitment to community and social change by:

• providing and advocating for services, programs, and resources that assist international students and students of color for a successful transition to, matriculation at, and graduation from Hampshire College
• offering services, programs, and resources that foster academic success among international students and students of color
• ensuring a space for multicultural community building, individual expression, and the exchange of ideas
• fostering leadership skills for multicultural competence for students of color, international students, and multicultural student groups
• continually examining the fluidity of race, culture, and identity; specifically examining how race and culture intersect with other social identities and their impact on one’s view of self and of the world
• serving as a campus partner in promoting multicultural competence through community engagement on topics related to race, culture, and under-representation

 

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Office of Multicultural and International Student Services
The Office of Multicultural and International Student Services (MISS) is housed in the Cultural Center. MISS provides a network of comprehensive services and innovative programs that support and advance the intellectual, personal, cultural, and social development of students of color and international students. 

To contact the director of Multicultural and International Student Services, call 413.559.5415.

International Student Advisor
The International Student advisor is housed in MISS, assisting international students with U.S. immigration and employment regulations, cross-cultural adjustment, and much more. Call 413.559.5415 to contact the International Student Advisor. 

The Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center and MISS are part of the department of Community Advocacy in the division of Student Life.

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OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES
The Cultural Center organizes programs and resources that specifically address the needs of students of color and international students. The center also provides programs and resources for the larger campus community to increase awareness on issues of race, culture, and under-representation. 

At the Cultural Center, we recognize students come to Hampshire with their own terms of self-identity and will soon be placed in a new environment where identity will take on different terms and meanings. The Cultural Center aims to help students of color and international students navigate through that phenomenon.

The Peer Mentorship Program matches incoming students of color and international students with continuing students of color and international students to help with acclimation to life at Hampshire College.

The SCIENCES Network for students of color and international students who are interested in and/or concentrating in Natural Science or Cognitive Science provides academic and professional resources. The SCIENCES Network is affiliated with the Hampshire Women, Minority, and International Scientists profile site.

The Mitziko Sawada Resource Library offers a multitude of books, magazines, articles, and videos focused on multiculturalism and social justice. Mitziko Sawada shared her wisdom and passion for history and multiculturalism for 13 years at Hampshire. She was hired in the fall of 1987 as visiting assistant professor of history; in the fall of 1991 she was promoted to visiting associate professor of history through June 2000; and from fall 1994-1995 she became dean of Multicultural Affairs. Her courses in U.S. history addressed politics, culture, and ideology, drawing on issues of race, gender, and immigration, including the history of Asian Americans. She also offered courses on comparative historical understandings of nineteenth- and twentieth-century U.S./Japan/East Asia. In spring 2000, Mitziko Sawada retired from teaching at Hampshire. She was very involved with the activities of the Cultural Center and SOURCE, and had considerable impact on the lives of many students. The resource library was officially named after Mitziko Sawada on February 5, 2003.

The Kahlo Gallery (named after artist Frida Kahlo) runs exhibits and programs centered on under-represented artists and the theme of under-representation.

The annual ASK for Social Justice program seeks to increase attitudes, skills, and knowledge on issues related to social justice.

The International Student Orientation each semester addresses the particular needs of international students and addresses immigration and work issues, as well as adjustment to life in a new country.

The International Student Host Family Program matches incoming international students with a staff or faculty member to provide additional support far from home.

Multicultural student groups that fall under the coalition of SOURCE (Students of Under-Represented Cultures and Ethnicities) meet at the Cultural Center. Currently, there are nine SOURCE groups who serve the following populations: indigenous; mixed heritage; queer people of color; international students; Asian/Asian American; Latino/a American; African/African American; international; James Baldwin Scholars; women of color; and international women. The student groups, along with the Cultural Center, have historically organized a number of successful initiatives that look at community building, campus awareness, and institutional change on topics related to race, under-representation, and social justice.

Additional Cultural Center programs include faculty talks, writing workshops, internship search workshops, study nights, film screenings, heritage month events, a newsletter, open houses, dialogues, speakers, and musical performances.

If you have an idea for a program or would like to further explore a topic related to the center's mission, please give us a call at the Cultural Center or stop by!

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NAMING THE LEBRON-WIGGINS-PRAN CULTURAL CENTER
On October 26, 1989, SOURCE officially announced the name of the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center. The center was named after Lolita Lebrón, Ronald Wiggins, and Dith Pran because of their contributions to the struggles of Latino/Latina American, African/African American, and Asian/Asian American communities.

Lolita Lebrón was an important figure in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Movement. In 1954, the movement made its final attempt to free Puerto Rico from U.S. colonialism through militaristic tactics. Lebrón and her compadres proclaimed "Free Puerto Rico Now," as they injured five U.S. Congressman. She was arrested for this action and spent twenty-five years in the United States as a political prisoner.

Roland Wiggins was a music professor at Hampshire College and a pioneer in the area of education for Black children.

Dith Pran was a survivor of war-torn Cambodia. He was the subject of the highly praised film The Killing Fields. Pran, with his unique perspective on the Far East and America, was a spokesman for Cambodian refugees around the world.