While the building's exterior appears drab, a cursory glance indoors suggests the incredible diversity of the people who meet there. A colorful world map delineating each of the countries adorns the back wall, posted behind a seemingly out-of-place piano. Seating areas are scattered throughout the room, with brochures about scholarship opportunities and introductions to Asian cultures strewn all over the tables. Though the building blends seamlessly next to its red-brick neighbor of East Quad, the Intercultural Center is actually Brandeis' locus for cultural collision.Created in 1992, the ICC serves as a bridge between Brandeis students and various cultures. The ICC's essence is its 14 clubs and organizations, each with its own cultural, political and social goals and ideals. "Not a lot of people have a chance to see what the ICC is about-it's not only for minorities," said Brandon Luk '06, co-chair of the Student Programming Board It's an open place for people to hang out and learn about different cultures and ideologies. It's not limited by skin color."

The South Asian Student Association (SASA)

SASA co-president Arnab Mukherkee '06 said that their role on campus is to provide a place for south Asian students to meet and mingle.

SASA's main event is its annual cultural show MELA, held every November. The show places the limelight on SASA, allowing the group to educate its audience about Asian customs, including traditional dances and songs.

SASA also works to attract attention toward political issues occurring throughout the seven country that make up Southeast Asia, such as religious conflicts within the region and women's rights in Pakistan.

Mukherjee said onlookers have viewed the organization as acting as its own entity within the ICC, so they want to work with and increase their involvement with other clubs. They will also be working on intercollegiate activities in the spring.

SASA also looks forward to celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage month, a joint effort by all of the ICC's Asian clubs. This event is similar to Black History and Hispanic Heritage months.



Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA)

According to Janet Kim '06, president of BAASA, this group attempts to "create a sense of family for the Asian-American community and further promote Asian-American awareness on campus through social or political means."

In order to achieve their goal, Kim said, BAASA addresses issues like the Asian-American model minority myth and the lack of Asian-Americans in U.S. politics. Through discussions and forums, BAASA promotes an active dialogue surrounding these issues.

Kim said that BAASA focuses on the American aspect of the ICC's other Asian groups, embracing student diversity while also encouraging "unity and solidarity".

"We try to define what 'Asian-American' means to us, to define our identity," Kim said.



Students for a Free Tibet (SFT)

Both a political and cultural organization, SFT performs three major tasks: raising awareness on the political state of Tibet, working toward inciting change for Tibet and introducing Tibetan culture to Brandeis, club president Len Pader '05 said.

Through films, forums and discussions, SFT informs the Brandeis community about Tibet's political situation and the religious persecution throughout the country.

To encourage change, SFT writes petitions to private American corporations, the Chinese government and human rights organizations urging them to stay aware of Tibetan issues.

"Freeing Tibet is a very daunting task that's hard to accomplish on a large scale, so we focus on a smaller scale," Pader said.

Culturally, SFT offers events like Tibetan poetry readings, discussions on Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibetan dancers. The club also looks forward to introducing a group of Tibetan nuns to campus in March.



The South East Asia Club (SEAC)

As SEAC president Jackie Sukhontarug '07 explained, this smaller club is a merger of the former Vietnamese and Cambodian clubs.

"Our purpose is to promote and increase awareness of South East Asian culture, which is very diverse, through celebration and education," Sukhontarug said.

SEAC instructs people about well-known South Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand, as well as lesser-known regions such as Burma and Brunei.

The club's most anticipated event is SEAC week, held the last week of January. It includes instruction about the colonization of Asia and the internal issues and culture clashes faced within its nations.



The Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO)

According to co-president Kyle Turner '06, BBSO, brings black American culture to Brandeis. This includes the cultures of both Africa and western India.

Two of BBSO's main events are its Kwanzaa celebration in December and Black History month in February, which involve active participation by both members and non-members.

BBSO also hosts black American speakers and promotes discussion on black culture.

"We have had speakers in the past. We try to be as creative as possible with our events so that people are constantly learning new things about black culture," Turner said.

According to Turner, their goal for this year is to incorporate more of the Brandeis community into BBSO activities, whether or not they identify with black culture.

"The more people we have, the better we can achieve the educational goals we aspire to," Turner said.

Editor's Note: Kyle Turner is an arts writer for the Justice.



The International Club (I-Club)

"We try to unite international and American students and provide a place where they can talk and ask questions," said co-President Katie Zelenka '05.

The I-Club's past events include "International days," like this semester's African day that highlighted African speakers and dancers. Other past events include wine and cheese tastings, cultural films and dances.

"The Purpose of the I-club is to raise awareness of the world's different cultures, whether [they] be Latin, Asian, European or African," said Mara Minski '06 the co-president. "We don't have a lot of members in our club, but people learn a lot from our events."

I-Club's most widely-known event is Pachanga, a popular all-school dance featuring international music.

Minski added that organizing I-Club events sometimes proves difficult because of the club's broad scope.

"It's hard because we cover such a broad community," she said. "We're the club that covers all the others together, and it's difficult to do [that] effectively."



The Hispanic and Latino Student Association (<>Ahora!)

Because Latin America is such a large and diverse region, <>Ahora! is responsible for a large subject area. "We try to shed light on a lot of [Latin America's] different customs," said co-President Claudia Martinez '07.

<>Ahora!'s biggest events are held in September and October, which is acknowledged as Hispanic Heritage Month. The club holds different events every year during this time, from dancing shows to cooking lessons on arroz con pollo-a rice and chicken dish.

The theme of this year's Hispanic Heritage Month was "Making History: Ahora, MaSana y Siempre (Now, Tomorrow and Always)."

"To us, this theme conveys ideas of diversity already present within the Latino culture," said co-president Jasmin Salcedo. "[This includes] the status of our Latino culture now, the positive changes we hope to see for tomorrow and empowering our youth for the future."

Salcedo said that <>Ahora! will continue to foster Latino awareness on campus, but especially focus on social issues facing the Latino community as they grow into the largest minority group in America.



The Korean Student Association (KSA)

" KSA's goal is to promote a better understanding [of] Korean and Korean-American culture, history, language, social concerns," said vice president Yein Lee '05 said.

KSA's paths to this goal focus on urging and facilitating discussions facing the South Korean and Korean-American communities. These range from sexuality and image to conflicts within North Korea and between Korea and Japan.

The KSA also encourages discussion of life as a Korean-American. They also hold an annual culture show to represent Korean culture at Brandeis.



Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection (BC3)

Stacey Chan '06, a co-president, said that BC3 originally began as a literary club and has since expanded to educate the Brandeis community about Chinese culture.

This semester's events have included a dumpling night with the culinary arts club and a celebration of the Chinese moon festival.

"We want to create political awareness of the Chinese-American experience," Chan said.

"While our main focus is cultural awareness, we also try to address political issues since they are a part of culture," Chan said. "We see importance in finding our Chinese roots or identity. Whether we live in China or America, we share common roots that go back in history."



Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR)

In the past, SOAR has held forums or meetings addressing topics related to racism. Now, in an effort to increase membership, SOAR is modifying the program. New workshops will bring in facilitators from off campus who will initiate dialogue about racism.

"We're not just dealing with the white race as the oppressors," co-president Ashley Hill '06 said. "We will address the fact that every group is potentially racist."

SOAR's workshops attempt to show Brandeis students about racism in the working world, as well as serve as a forum for discussion on mitigating racial discrimination on campus.



The Caribbean ConneXion (CC)

The Caribbean ConneXion explores the social, political and cultural customs of the Caribbean region.

"Because of the [large number of] resulting cultural interactions, we have to try hard to portray all different aspects of the culture," co-president Genielle Salazar '05 said.

A typical CC get-together features discussions over matches of dominoes, a popular game in the Caribbean region.

CC members host several fundraisers throughout the year, and donate proceeds to non-profit organizations based in the Caribbean region, East Africa and West Africa.

This year, the CC donated profits from their fall dance to the island of Grenada, which was devastated by hurricane Ivan in September. The CC is also promoting a Grenada spring break trip for students interested in helping to restore its infrastructure. Additional annual CC fundraisers include live reggae and salsa concerts as well as dance parties.

Other activities planned by the CC include film screenings, which will be featured alongside dancing, art and theater productions in this April's Caribbean week.



The Japanese Student Association (JSA)

Ryushi Shinagawa '07 called the JSA "an introduction to the true Japan." Shinagawa said that Japanese and American cultures are more similar than most people realize. He believes that Japanese culture is misrepresented in America, and aims to introduce its accurate form to the Brandeis campus.

According to Shinagawa, despite the club's low membership, it remains dedicated to introducing students to Japanese culture. Their favorite medium is Japanese films. Shinagawa said that more widely viewed American films poorly depict Japanese society. Japanese films offer a more truthful representation and contribute greatly to cultural awareness.

Next semester, the JSA will host a dinner of "shabu shabu," a common Japanese dish of various meats and vegetables cooked in hot broth. Each diner will choose their preferred ingredients to boil a personalized concoction.



The Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA)

TASA concentrates on introducing Taiwanese food, which Shinagawa said differs from that of other Asian countries. They present foods unique to Taiwanese cooking such as port fish.

TASA's fall event celebrated the Taiwanese Moon Festival. They gathered in celebration of the annual harvest moon, the largest and brightest of the year. They prepared and shared moon cakes-round pastries filled with treats like bean paste, nuts and dried fruit.

TASA also runs films that introduce the daily life of Taiwanese citizens.



The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA)

The CSSA exists for the benefit of Chinese graduate students and alumni, but focuses on current Brandeis students. According to doctoral student and CSSA president Zhipeng Yan, its objective is to make life in the United States easier and happier for its members.

The club organizes activities for CSSA students to meet one another and to promote their joint outreach to other parts of the Brandeis community. They aid the transition for new international students through various means, such as transportation from the airport and to the grocery store.

Activities organized by the CSSA include various team sport activities, such as hiking trips or tennis matches, as well as parties to celebrate Chinese holidays.

The ICC's members exert effort and time to promote acceptance on the Brandeis campus. With its eclectic mix of cultures, the ICC ushers in and embraces the diversity of the world outside of Brandeis. Through candid discussion and the co-hosting of events, the individual clubs espouse each culture's uniqueness while allowing comparison and fusion with others.