From the passionate discussion to the frequent laughter to the buffet-style dinner, the Greenfield Intercultural Center's 20th anniversary celebration on Tuesday had all the traditional hallmarks of a Greenfield event.
"My friend ... would always say [that] something about the GIC promotes people just talking and exploring ideas," said College junior Carlos Rivera-Anaya, chairman of the United Minorities Council and work-study student at the center. "It's just so conducive to dialoguing and ... support."
The Albert M. Greenfield Intercultural Center was established in 1983 to serve as a resource for minority students and to promote multicultural understanding.
The center was founded largely because of the efforts of the UMC -- particularly then-chairman Mark Rodriguez, who attended the event Tuesday to participate in a panel discussion.
"I'm overwhelmed by being here, but I'm also overwhelmed by how much there is to do," he said, stressing the importance of coalition building among minorities.
Rodriguez -- now a contract lobbyist in Austin, Texas -- said that he applies the skills he learned as UMC chairman to his occupation.
"I went to more meetings than I went to classes," he said. "And I don't know if that's a good thing."
Nonetheless, "if somebody asked me to do it over again, I'd start tomorrow," Rodriguez added.
Bob Schoenberg, director of Penn's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, reflected after the event on the changes the GIC has seen throughout its 20 years.
"It's served a central role in supporting diversity on campus," he said, noting that the addition of individual ethnic resource centers over the years has allowed the center to focus on intercultural activities.
Today, the GIC is involved in a number of activities designed to foster communication and understanding among cultural groups.
The center provides training for residential advisers and graduate associates on issues of diversity and organizes student workshops on campus. It has collaborated with the Graduate School of Education to offer a highly regarded course called "Cross-Cultural Awareness" through the Program for Awareness and Cultural Education.
Rivera-Anaya credits the GIC for consistently achieving its goals and changing students' lives.
"It's pretty much responsible for everything I do here at Penn," he said. "Very few times have I ever found such an incredible support group."
The celebration is the first of a series of events planned for 2004 in honor of the center's 20 years in service to the University.
Among the upcoming activities is a year-end dance and celebration in April, an open house in September and a lecture and concert titled "Hip Hop Across Cultures" in November.
The night's dozens of guests included Ren‚ Gonz lez, the center's first director, who served from 1983 to 1993.
"I think the center is a great investment for the University, and I hope that it will be around for at least another 20 years," he said.
