THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510150051
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VALERIE CARINO CAMPUS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Old Dominion University plans to open a Filipino cultural center in April.
The center will be one of only three Filipino cultural centers in the United States, and the only one on the East Coast, said Belinda A. Aquino, director of the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
It will house rare Filipino documents and books, and serve as a site for panel discussions and speeches to promote a greater understanding of Filipino culture, ODU officials said. The center probably will be located in one of the university's houses on 49th Street, said Dana D. Burnett, vice president for student services.
The project is part of ODU President James V. Koch's vision for a multicultural university, said Dr. Juan M. Montero, a surgeon in Chesapeake, who has spearheaded the project.
``This is, to me, the epitome of whatever project any immigrant could help develop - a depository, a place where you can have your legacy perpetuated,'' Montero said.
ODU estimates that it has 700 Filipino-American students, or about 4 percent of its enrollment. South Hampton Roads has at least 20,000 Filipino-American residents, according to census data.
M. Evelina Galang, an instructor of English and faculty adviser to the Filipino-American Student Association, said the center finally will recognize the achievements of Filipinos.
``For a long time, I think the minorities have had to assimilate to the culture at large,'' Galang said. ``The majority never had to recognize the contributions from other Americans.
``It (the center) gives the entire campus community the chance to learn about the people they deal with every day,'' she said.
And the center will have a special meaning to Filipino-American students, said MaryLou Botardo, a sophomore. ``I don't think we're as recognized as the African-American culture or Hispanic culture. I think it's great that our culture is coming out.''
Montero started a committee of Filipino leaders and alumni to organize the project in January 1994. The committee hopes to raise $100,000 for equipment, renovation and operations. The university also will kick in money, said Harry P. Creemers, ODU's executive director for development.
Burnett expects to begin a search for a part-time coordinator for the center in the spring.
Aquino, the professor from Hawaii, said the center could be an asset. But for it to succeed, she said, ODU needs to make a strong financial commitment and should make sure that the center reaches out to the community.
Montero hopes the center will lead to other benefits for the Filipino community, including attracting more Filipino-American faculty to Old Dominion.
``A project of this magnitude, of this significance, has no walls,'' Montero said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
Dr. Juan M. Montero spearheaded the project to build a Filipino
center at ODU and started a committee of Filipino leaders and alumni
to organize the it.
by CNB