Studies indicate that minorities will make up about 33 percent of NIU’s student population by the year 2006. With hopes of expanding this type of awareness, NIU dedicated the Center for Diversity Resources, 1515 W. Lincoln Highway, on Monday.

Emil Jones, Illinois Senate minority leader, D-Chicago, headlined the dedication ceremony with a group of state and local dignitaries.

“The Center for Diversity Resources will educate others about culture, race, religion and respect for one another,” Jones said.

Jones, a strong advocate of public education, helped fund NIU’s facility with grants totaling $550,000. He has been a member of the Illinois Senate since 1973 and said he was excited about being involved in the center’s production.

“We live in a diverse world, and the university is at the forefront, taking a bold, giant step toward that reality,” he said.

Eddie Williams, executive vice-president of finance and facilities and chief of university operations, said the center is a continuation of NIU’s commitment.

“This campus is building to provide the necessary facilities to continue what we have already been trying to do,” Williams said. “[NIU] is not just for black or Hispanic involvement only, it is for everyone to come together to identify with one another.”

Jones said there are pieces of history left out of textbooks that make appreciating differences difficult.

“The names and accomplishments of many black Americans are written out of history,” Jones said. “We get cheated and so do whites because without that knowledge, they don’t respect us.”

During his speech, he recalled a trip to Africa that made him aware of his own culture. Jones wanted to complain about the 13-hour plane trip but then

remembered the millions of Africans who endured the Middle Passage, or the shipment of slaves.

“My trip to the motherland made me realize that only the strong survive,” he said. “I am a product of the strong and so are you. I stand on the shoulders of those that came before. My job now is to be a bridge-builder for all the young people that come after me.”

Williams said awareness will make people more sensitive in the workplace and the residence halls, making a stronger campus.

By the year 2015, the number of minority students will increase by 7 percent, Jones said. He said that becoming more aware during college will make for more-informed employees in the job market.

“In terms of business, minorities have to be a percentage of the employees,” said Jones, who also has served 10 years in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Jones said minorities must be present at all levels of business, especially in policy-making.

“The work force must take into consideration that everyone has something to give & everyone has something to offer,” Jones said.

“Diversity resources will make students more aware and less shallow about other people’s backgrounds,” said Paula Hughes, a senior health administration major. “They will begin to appreciate rather than take these differences as a threat.”

Very few students attended the dedication, a fact that Cody McSellers, a junior sports medicine major, said is unfortunate.

“A lot of students didn’t know this was going on,” McSellers said. “Most students may not realize the importance of this ceremony on the center, but those student leaders from all organizations will serve as a guide for other students to become aware.”