Garden St. Center Provides Outlet For Activities of Foreign Students

"Isn't this fascinating," said the little old Cambridge lady, as she sipped her tea at the opening of the new International Student Center. "Where do you come from, young man?"

"Holland," said Corneles Willems, 4G, a teaching fellow in Economics who spends much of his time at the Garden Street establishment.

"My, what a dear bustle country," gushed the lady, adjusting her spectacles for a closer look.

This somewhat patronizing attitude on the part of many residents of the city seemed to be a bear in the path when the International Student Association decided to move to its new quarters on Garden Street last spring.

Even the Cambridge city authorities were inclined to look askance at the project for giving Boston's several thousand foreign students a new and permanent meeting place. However, at a stormy meeting of the Cambridge City Council last spring, zoning restrictions were finally removed, but not before a Councillor had shouted. "The very world 'International' makes me suspicious."

After almost a year in residence in the stucco and red-tile building, now under the guidance of a news director, Hans Spiegel, a graduate of Antioch, and his wife, the Center seems to be articulating the often apathetic University community into taking a large part in its activities, both foreigners and Americans alike.

Hustle, Bustle, even Muscle

For instance, during a typical evening, the ISA may show two or three films in the large meeting room, while later in another section of the Center, prominent professors who make up the Association's informal "faculty" may lead a discussion on topics as varied as "Communism in Asia" and "Social Implications of Life Insurance." The music room, with its supply of records, also has its devotees.

Tea and open house is a Sunday institution, but during the week, the Center also boasts its share of special attractions. For example, the program for the rest of the month includes: two Disney films this evening, "spring cleaning, spading and general repair" on Saturday, lectures on Art and "Contributions of Belgium to Western Culture" as well as a dance next week, slides on Japan, more dancing, piano recitals, and more lectures, for the fortnight after that.

The internationalists do not confine their activities to more affairs within the building. Ski-trips, and beach parties as well as visits to nearby colleges and universities are all aspects of the Center's program one a year, the group sponsors a spring show, which includes an "International floor-show, exotic foods, displays of foreign handicrafts, and folk-dancing for every one." This year's frolic, "Fun-Fair" went off three weeks ago, filling Memorial Hall almost to capacity.

Come Up and See Me

Within the first few weeks that he spends in Boston, every foreign student in the area receives an invitation to visit the Center and take part in its social affairs.

The organization now claims over 430 members, of which about 132 are from the University, and 72 from MIT, where 10 percent of the whole enrollment is foreign students. Radcliffe has 15, Boston University 25, and Wellesley, Simmons, Tufts, Jackson, and Northeastern provide the rest.

Director Spiegel says, however, that the number registered is actually very little indication of the number who use the building, since the Center is the International Student Association's sole outpost, and serves numerous Boston colleges. He claims that visits to the Center last year totaled over 20,000.

Spiegel, a soft-spoken young Swiss with size 15 shoes, agrees with former director Lawrence Mead's statement that the Center's real ambition is "the creation of a warm friendly atmosphere in which likenesses can be discovered and differences discussed." Not the least of this warmth and friendliness comes from the female members of the organization, exotic damsels from such spots on the Globe as Uruguay, India, Egypt, Australia, Cuba, Iceland, and the Virgin Islands, among the 64 countries which members claim as their homes.

"We've had to get used to people calling up here all night long" Speigel says, "to ask: 'Who was that red-head I met up at your place last night, name of Marry?" The Spiegels, and the other six permanent residents at the building (all women) have become accustomed to their function as a date-bureau of sorts, so they claim.

The International Student Center, sponsored by the International Student Association, has been operating under its present name since 1946, although Mr, and Mrs. Lawrence Mead, the first directors, had been welcoming students to their house on Phillips place for some years before that.

A Bit of History

After the war, with floods of foreign students arriving here, the Center began to look for a home of its own, and several hundred contributors finally helped finance the purchase of this new building at 33 Garden St. The family of a Datuch Student killed in a laboratory accident at Harvard furnished a music room, and mention of the Center on the radio brought offers of eight planos. The Meads retired last spring and the association screened 92 applicants to hit upon Speigel as its present chief of staff.

The past years have given the Center grateful alumni the world over, and some members have even founded similar organizations. At the Hindu University of Benares, for example, a former Harvard man heads a society for foreign students. Newspapers in foreign countries often run stories of the Center's activities, also. The extension of international hospitality is rather gratifying to an organization which works to give real meaning to the vague concept of international "understanding"--convinced that shyness, prejudice and ignorance, not fundamental differences, keep people, apart.

Harvard Ties

Even thought the Center's membership is increasing all the time, and now boasts more Harvard students than ever before, Spiegel is convinced that its best years are yet to come.

"We have members from 64 countries," he says," and 115 people from the United States. I want to see more and more."

"There's one thing I especially want to do while I'm here in Cambridge." Speigel continues." I want to arrange ties between this organization and the University which will bring Harvard back into prominence in the leadership of national and international student organizations."