Creating a better world for everyone at Indiana University Southeast

The Center for Cultural Resources at Indiana University Southeast is designated as an integral part of the IUS Curriculum Materials Center for Education students, area teachers and others involved in diversity education.

More so, the CCR is open as a resource to anyone who attends a brief orientation session to obtain a library card and training on how to reserve and use the kits. 

For 25 years, this collection has been lovingly developed, curated and cared for by retired IUS teachers Dr. Claudia Crump and Carolyn Diener. These two inspiring women and beloved educators created the CCR 25 years ago to benefit the Southern Indiana community and expand world views locally.

Crump and Diener have not only taught and imprinted upon countless educators throughout this region, but they have forever touched lives and broadened minds of countless children and adults by bringing a big world to Southern Indiana thanks to their passion and commitment to education in all its many forms and facets.

“I truly love doing this,” Crump said.

When the center was created a quarter of a century ago, this was an especially a progressive approach to learning in Southern Indiana.

“Back then, they didn’t have many international students [at IUS] at the time because they didn’t have the lodging … and they didn’t have many international faculty,” Diener said, “So students came from small surrounding towns, and they probably didn’t often meet another person much different from themselves, and so that was our impetus – that’s what this program grew from.”

Today, the CCR is an all-donation and volunteer center providing world-view educational resources. Donations of cultural items, time and funds are always welcomed. Cultural items are collected in sort boxes at the CCR entrance.

The center has flourished over the years thanks to the countless supporters who have brought back every day cultural items from their global travels. From dolls to ethnic clothing, musical instruments to dinnerware – and so much more – the CCR offers a vibrant array of international daily-living items.

Although years upon years of collecting and developmental work has gone into the kits and the offerings at the CCR, Crump and Diener both stressed so few know about it still and even less take advantage of this free resource for the community.

They welcome any opportunity to share about the wonders and ways of the world to all who want the cultural center’s help. The CCR is staffed and supported by Indiana University Southeast’s students, center directors, IUS library staff, a board of directors and volunteers.

Crump pointed out that they truly believe in living out the cultural center’s mission of facilitating an acceptance of — and appreciation for — personal and global diversity by and among all people.

Diener and Crump – along with all who are involved in the cultural center — say they take great pride in their focus on issues of race, ethnic background, social class, religion, history, gender, age and ability.

Both Crump and Diener themselves are pioneers of sorts, both valuing progressive thinking while coming of age at a time in rural America when segregation was the norm and opportunities for cultural education and experiences was not.

By taking time to explore other ways of living, traditions and customs — and so much more, Diener said, “it just expands your world so much. It just makes your world so much more interesting.”

The center encourages a variety of teaching strategies in a thematic and culture-focused curriculum. Some of the ways the CCR provides information and resources to enhance the region’s cultural learning activities include:

· Disseminating cultural resources kits to schools, organizations, Scouts and individuals throughout Southern Indiana and the Louisville metro area

· Conducting workshops, seminars and social events

· Co-sponsoring culturally related projects on topics including Lewis & Clark and Indiana women

· Providing workspace and assistance for cultural research, planning and resources

The resource kits that focus on countries from all over the world can contain up to 200 items in an eclectic, yet highly organized, prescriptive format. The collection of materials includes articles, curriculum guides, lesson plans, books, primary/ fugitive sources, artifacts, technological resources, graphic media, and other audio-visuals such as slides, videos and picture files.

The materials are organized around “universal cultural unity and university themes,” Crump said, which are inclusive of — and adaptable to — state, national and professional organization standards.

According to information provided by the CCR and detailed by Crump, the following are universal concepts and statements of “big ideas” the kits center around that apply to all people, all places, and all times:

· People/places

· Life experiences

· Needs

· Natural world 

· Aesthetics

· Past/present/future cultures

· Language

· Rules/leaders/institutions

· Producers/consumers/transporters/communicators

· Recreation/celebrations

· Values/ service

· Connections/interdependence/globalization

Just as it was back when they started the CCR, Crump stressed the laser focus of the cultural center is — and will forever be — on acceptance and appreciation for all people and all cultures of the world.

While both are no longer actively teaching, it’s their lifelong passion to open minds and expand cultural awareness locally and beyond that still drives Crump and Diener to keep showing up at the CCR and giving the CCR their best 25 years later.

They said they believe by sharing this information, they — along with all who give of their time and resources to support and advance the CCR — are creating a much better world for everyone to live, learn, work and love.

“To me, it’s more than just tolerance. There’s something called teaching tolerance – and it’s well intentioned,” Diener explained. “But, you don’t want people just to tolerate other folks. You want them to understand other people’s cultures.”