Friday, May 8, 1998
It’s a small world
INTERNATIONAL: The new Tom Bradley International center brings a
global, multicultural focus to the UCLA campus
By George Sweeney
Daily Bruin Contributor
After four days of gray skies and off-and-on May showers, the
skies opened up for the honoring of one of UCLA’s most
distinguished alumni and the building named in his honor.
With minimal fanfare but maximum importance, Bradley
International Hall opened its doors for the students of UCLA. Its
namesake, the former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, lent his
distinguished presence for the ribbon cutting of the new
building.
The ribbon cutting marked a step towards the diversity that
Chancellor Carnesale has emphasized. But because the building and
its inhabitants have no say in the administration of the
university, the building can only effect the way that the student
population views the global community.
"(The Bradley International Hall) doesn’t help the problem of
diversity," Carnesale said, "but it does help to achieve the use of
one of its greatest treasures, our diverse student body."
In alignment with this vision, the purpose of the building is to
bring together the students of the world with the domestic students
of the university.
The Office of International Student Services and Dashew Center,
the two major tenants of the building, intend to use this unique
space to educate domestic students on the diversity of cultures and
peoples that are represented on campus.
"We want to encourage the understanding between the
international people and cultures of the world," said Stanley
Dashew, chairman of the Dashew Center, "and being here on campus is
a better way to get international students and American students
together."
Dashew called the new center a "mix-master" capable of
integrating students from foreign countries with the rest of the
UCLA population.
The new building is truly representative of Angeleno
architecture. Its brown stucco, hard lines and rigid structure are
the perfect combination of mestizo traditionalism and Los Angeles
modernity.
Ricardo Legoretta, a Mexico City architect, was chosen from 19
different people to design the new building. Legoretta tackled the
problem of building on a steep incline by creating a structure that
would compliment the existing dorm architecture.
The building houses a dance studio, a cooking facility and a
language lab. The building is also negotiating with a major
computer company to create a state-of-the-art computer lab that
will enhance global communication.
Situated on the second floor of the building are the food
facilities. With a panoramic view of the campus, the combination
outdoor and indoor cafe has a cosmopolitan feel. Outdoor tables
with umbrellas are set along the tree- and flower-lined patio,
capable of accommodating hundreds of students.
It is appropriate that the building should be named for Los
Angeles’ longest serving mayor and UCLA alumni. In his 20 years as
mayor, it was his express interest in promoting Los Angeles as an
international center that helped the city flourish. The most
striking example was in 1984 when the city hosted the 22nd Olympic
Games. Those games, under Peter Uberroth, another UCLA namesake,
changed the Olympics from a dying quadre-annual tradition to the
media and financial event that it is today. And it only could have
happened in Los Angeles.
"One of his greatest achievements," said Bill Elkins, Bradley’s
deputy mayor and now Bradley’s spokesperson, "is the establishment
of a linkage to the trade and commerce centers of those societies
and nations."
Elkins went on to say that those Games would not have been
possible without Bradley’s efforts to internationalize the city and
to establish the framework for trade with the Pacific-rim nations.
As these markets are becoming more prominent with the coming of the
new millennium, Bradley’s foresight seems to be paying off.
Bradley and his friends have not only lent his reputation to the
center, but the Bradley Library Association has also given a
sizeable donation, about $600,000, to the construction.
They were not the only donors, though. Six million of the 14
million total dollars needed to build the center were raised by
corporate and private donors.
In addition to promoting international understanding through the
building, donors were allowed to have certain rooms and areas named
in the honor of themselves or loved ones.
The Toyota Lobby houses the most notable of Bradley’s
significant collection of memorabilia, including the keys to
several cities and a samurai replica given to Bradley by Los
Angeles’ sister city, Nagano, Japan.
But the construction still needs some support. $1.7 million is
needed to pay off all the costs of the construction.
In fact, for $500,000, a donor can have the main ballroom of the
building named after themself or a loved one. Regardless of whose
name appears upon the ballroom, the purpose of the hall is to
facilitate the transition of international students to the
university.
"The university has continued to reach out over the years to
help minority students to go on and achieve in the rest of their
careers," Bradley said.
And while the administration of the university has been loathe
to address the affirmative action problem, Bradley had no fear in
expressing his beliefs and endorsing the center as aiding in the
understanding between peoples of different ethnicity.
"I am shocked and saddened by the recent passage of the negative
affirmative action laws, but I am absolutely convinced that this
will pass and we will find new ways to promote equality," said
Bradley.
Photos by KIT TARROZA
(Left to right) Chairman of the Dashew Center Stanley Dashew,
former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, and Chancellor Albert
Carnesale participate in ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Tom Bradley
International Hall.
The bright orange Tom Bradley International Hall sits on the
corner of Circle Drive West and Strathmore, just south of Dykstra
Hall.