University of California, Irvine. Cross Cultural Center.

The University of California, Irvine Cross Cultural Center (CCC) offers a network of programs, activities, and support services to assist the university in supporting the personal, social, cultural, and academic needs of UCI's ethnically and culturally diverse student body. Toward this end, the CCC offers a wide array of educational programs that advance learning about and discovery of UCI's various multicultural communities. The Cross Cultural Center, known on campus as "the Cross," was founded on October 16, 1974 by a group of UCI faculty, staff, and students. It was the first multicultural center founded on a University of California campus. Its stated purpose was "to create Third World interaction, student outreach, and provide necessary information to the minority community on campus." The first director was Dr. Larry Onoda, a psychologist from UCI's Counseling Center. The CCC was originally housed in a 1,800 square foot, temporary building located across the Ring Mall from the School of Humanities. The annual Rainbow Festival, held each fall, is the CCC's largest event. First celebrated in 1984, the festival has become a tradition at UCI and has served as a model for other colleges and universities. The Festival is a celebration of cultural and ethnic diversity, featuring speakers, workshops, and a cultural fair. The theme of UCI's first Rainbow Festival was "Many Faces, Many Dreams." In the late 1980s changing demographics and campus growth necessitated the expansion and relocation of the CCC. After considerable campus debate about its location, the CCC moved to the Ring Mall across from the Administration Building and reopened on April 18, 1989. The CCC underwent another expansion, reopening late in 2007. The CCC has been a center of activism on campus. In the spring of 1991 concerned student organizations within the CCC established the Ethnic Students Coalition Against Prejudicial Education (ESCAPE), which campaigned for ethnic studies programs at UCI. Many student organizations were unified in this effort and sponsored several major rallies to generate campus support. In 1993 Asian American students held a 35-day rotational hunger strike in an effort establish an Asian American Studies program as well as an additional staff member for the CCC. This protest received considerable media attention and galvanized the local Asian American community. As of 2008, five student umbrella organizations are recognized by the CCC: Afrikan Student Union (ASU), Alyansa ng mga Kababayan (Pilipino), American Indian Student Association (AISA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). More than 50 individual organizations exist under these five umbrella organizations.

Historical Background

The University of California, Irvine Cross Cultural Center (CCC) offers a network of programs, activities, and support services to assist the university in supporting the personal, social, cultural, and academic needs of UCI's ethnically and culturally diverse student body. Toward this end, the CCC offers a wide array of educational programs that advance learning about and discovery of UCI's various multicultural communities.

The Cross Cultural Center, known on campus as "the Cross," was founded on October 16, 1974 by a group of UCI faculty, staff, and students. It was the first multicultural center founded on a University of California campus. Its stated purpose was "to create Third World interaction, student outreach, and provide necessary information to the minority community on campus." The first director was Dr. Larry Onoda, a psychologist from UCI's Counseling Center. The CCC was originally housed in a 1,800 square foot, temporary building located across the Ring Mall from the School of Humanities.

The annual Rainbow Festival, held each fall, is the CCC's largest event. First celebrated in 1984, the festival has become a tradition at UCI and has served as a model for other colleges and universities. The Festival is a celebration of cultural and ethnic diversity, featuring speakers, workshops, and a cultural fair. The theme of UCI's first Rainbow Festival was "Many Faces, Many Dreams."

In the late 1980s changing demographics and campus growth necessitated the expansion and relocation of the CCC. After considerable campus debate about its location, the CCC moved to the Ring Mall across from the Administration Building and reopened on April 18, 1989. The CCC underwent another expansion, reopening late in 2007.

The CCC has been a center of activism on campus. In the spring of 1991 concerned student organizations within the CCC established the Ethnic Students Coalition Against Prejudicial Education (ESCAPE), which campaigned for ethnic studies programs at UCI. Many student organizations were unified in this effort and sponsored several major rallies to generate campus support. In 1993 Asian American students held a 35-day rotational hunger strike in an effort establish an Asian American Studies program as well as an additional staff member for the CCC. This protest received considerable media attention and galvanized the local Asian American community.

As of 2008 five student umbrella organizations are recognized by the CCC: Afrikan Student Union (ASU), Alyansa ng mga Kababayan (Pilipino), American Indian Student Association (AISA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). More than 50 individual organizations exist under these five umbrella organizations.