The Newsletter for Friends & Alumni of I-House Berkeley
Fall-Winter 2010-2011 | Email Digest Version | Full PDF version
Special 80th Anniversary Edition
Includes a Timeline celebrating some of the remarkable moments of I-House history!
I-House Celebrates 80th Year of Advancing Cross-Cultural Respect, Friendship, Peace
On August 18, 1930, the doors of International House Berkeley swung open to hundreds of male and female UC Berkeley students representing dozens of different countries. Despite hundreds of protesters who had objected to racial integration at I-House, these young people established the first generation of I-House residents charged with fostering cross-cultural respect, friendships and leadership skills for a world of greater understanding and peace. Full story.
Read and share perspectives on International House
At lunch recently I sat with a group of new I-House residents from several countries. I asked them about their initial impressions of living at I-House and quickly received an "awesome," a "wonderful," and a remark that struck me as particularly insightful and worth clarifying, "living here is liberating." While I imagine "awesome" was not a word in common parlance 80 years ago, "liberating" is a response that could have been heard at any time during International House's rich and progressive history... Full story, page 2
I-House Executive Director Martin Brennan, Executive Director Emeritus Joe Lurie, Program Director Liliane Koziol, and alumna Angelika Blendstrup are teaching a four-unit Navigating Cultures class for UC Berkeley this fall. Full story.
Pictured at left, I-House Board member and alumna Yoshi Akiba invited students in the Navigating Cultures class to her home where she introduced students to Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, a tea ceremony, and meditation.
Alumni, residents, and friends of I-House gathered for Sunday afternoon tea to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of I-House – complete with birthday cake. Executive Director Martin Brennan recalled the pioneering accomplishments of the House, which was the first coeducational residence facility west of the Mississippi where students of all ethnicities lived under one roof. Full story
After an Iron Chef style "cook-off" that challenged finalists to prepare a salad and entrée using a market basket of selected foods, two professional chefs were brought on board the Dining Services staff. Gary Beitch, Director of Dining Services, says, "We want to take food at I-House to the next level by improving the food quality and appearance while increasing the efficiency of our kitchen operations. In their first month, our new chefs are already making some great changes. It is a real challenge to serve students who are accustomed to home cooking from such diverse cultures." Full story, page 3
Also in this issue:
- Grant Supports New I-House Website to Debut in 2011, p.2
- Leaders of I-Houses Worldwide Gather, Exchange Best Practices, p. 2
- Resident Assistants Provide a Warm Welcome, p.3
- Music Club Concert Benefits Pakistan's Flood Victims, p.3
- Reunions in New York, Berkeley & Barcelona, p 4
- Letter from: Christiane Barbarin Cook (IH 1946- 47) p.4
- Alumni Attend Middle East Forum, p.4
- New Alumni Challenge is Renewed, p.4
- Reeve Gould Honored at Rotary Anniversary, p.4
- Alumni Reminisce: "80 Perspectives on 80 Years", p. 5
- International House 2009 - 2010 Honor Roll of Donors, p.8
- Volunteers Make a Difference at International House, p. 9
- Treasured Alumnus Wolf Homburger Honored at I-House, p. 9
- Renovations & Improvements: "Money Well Spent." Page 9
- News & Notes, p. 10
- 2011 Calendar of Events
View or print I-House Times newsletters at http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/alumni/times.php
Our best from I-House,
I-House Office of Alumni Relations & Development
For a complete listing of I-House news and events, visit ihouse.berkeley.edu. Questions? Call (510) 642-4128.
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