For more than 35 years, the Asian American Cultural Center was nothing more than an idea. These days, for faculty and staff, it has become nothing short of a long-awaited reality.

Despite being the youngest cultural house on campus, the Asian American Cultural Center, located at 1210 W. Nevada St., has become a mainstay for the Asian American community.

“Asian American students were making their desire for such a center known back in the early 1970s,” said David Chih, assistant dean of students and director of the Asian American Cultural Center.

The AACC, which opened in September 2005, provides resources, programming and facilities for students and faculty on campus, said May Xiong, assistant director of the AACC and an alumna of the University.

“We do service a lot of Asian American students,” Xiong said. “But it’s really [made] to help all students on this campus who come in and want to learn more about Asian American culture.”

In addition to student mentorship and advising, the AACC offers services through the University, said Xiong. These resources include the Career Center, Counseling Center, McKinley Health Center and Undergraduate Library.

“We can direct [students] to the outreach services that are on this campus, helping them to navigate the University,” she said. “I think that’s one of our huge missions in many ways: to be here for the students in whatever needs or concerns that they have.”

Along with resources and mentorship services, the center offers weekly programs, said Sehjong Hamjong, program coordinator for the AACC.

On Tuesdays at noon, there’s Food for Thought, a lunch discussion that features free food and various speakers and presenters.

“We don’t want to make it a lecture because students get that enough,” said Hamjong. “We want students and faculty who attend to participate and give their two cents.”

On Wednesdays, there are evening events sponsored by both the AACC and student RSOs. Although a collaborative effort, the students take the lead in planning the event, Hamjong said, providing them the opportunity to gain leadership skills.

Upcoming Wednesday events include Anthony Brown’s Asian American Jazz Orchestra Exchange on Nov. 5, a sushi-making event on Nov. 12 and a dinner dialogue on mixed race identity, a collaborative effort with La Casa Cultural Latina, in the near future.

“[We want to] help the students become culturally aware,” Xiong said. “No matter what you do in life, the world is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more people who won’t have the same kind of life experiences as you do.”

She said she hopes the AACC will help students find a sense of community among their peers, teaching them how to work together on certain issues despite their disagreements on others.

Throughout the years, said Chih, student leaders have articulated a case for how and why the AACC would be helpful and necessary to this campus.

In the nation, he said, there are about 50 or 60 Asian American studies programs and 25 Asian American cultural centers. Only six campuses, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign included, have both.

“It’s been a long road to get to the point when the campus said, ‘OK,’” Chih said, “and all along the way, we’ve had students and faculty and staff work together to try to conceptualize what this center could be for the campus.”

Although the center is a vast improvement since the 1970s, the growing population of Asian American and Asian international students on campus has created a need for expansion in staff and space at the AACC, said Chih.

“We’re averaging about 35 meetings and events each week,” he said. “Some nights, we might have eight meetings or programs going on in a single night.”

Still, the Asian American Cultural Center continues to carry out its mission to serve both the students and the University at large. It gives students a place to voice their opinions and build a sense of community, Xiong said.

“The AACC stands for the students,” she said. “It stands for the potential of what students can do in the world.”