The IU Bloomington campus is home to six culture centers, which provide community and support to students of varied cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds. These programs include counseling, community events and more, and can be a good place to start if you’re looking for support.
Asian Culture Center
The Asian Culture Center was the first of its kind in the Midwest when it opened in 1988. It aims to build community and raise awareness of issues affecting Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander people. The center offers a range of programs and services, including discussion programs on race and culture issues. The programs often feature guest speakers, Lunar New Year and Holi celebrations, culinary and artistic demonstrations, language learning programs, peer support and volunteer opportunities.
The ACC is also part of the Counseling and Psychological Services Let’s Talk program, which provides free mental health and wellness support for students in the center Wednesdays and Fridays, including both individual and group counseling.
The ACC is located at 807 E. 10th St., across the street from the Collins Living- Learning Center on the northwest corner of campus. More information can be found at asianresource.indiana.edu.
First Nations Educational and CulturalCenter
The First Nations Educational and Cultural Center was founded in 2007. In collaboration with student groups, the center offers community, services and support specific to Native American students. The FNECC hosts guest speakers, artist workshops and free Indigenous film screenings. The center also acts as a satellite location for IU’s Academic Support Center and offers scholarships. Facilities include a lounge, library, study room and craft room.
The FNECC has also organized the IU Traditional Powwow every year since 2012. The Powwow features nationally recognized singers and dancers as well as vendors selling handcrafted items. The celebration regularly draws hundreds of visitors. The Powwow was canceled in 2024 due to the eclipse, which took place April 8, but it is expected to return in 2025.
The FNECC house is located at 712 E. Eighth St., behind La Casa Latino Cultural Center. More information about the FNECC can be found at firstnations.indiana.edu.
Hillel Jewish Culture Center
IU Hillel was founded in 1938 to provide community and support to Jewish students on campus. In 2022, it integrated with the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs to become the official Jewish Culture Center on campus. Hillel hosts a weekly Shabbat dinner, IU classes, volunteer programs, holiday programming, travel programs and networking opportunities. Facilities include a dining hall, chapel, sanctuary, wellness
center and library.
The Hillel Center is located at 730 E. Third St., across the street from Swain Hall. More information can be found at iuhillel.org.
La Casa Latino Cultural Center
Since 1973, La Casa Latino Cultural Center has offered programming to the Latine community at IU. La Casa provides computer facilities, tutoring services,
interpretation services and Counseling and Psychological Services counseling to students, as well as gathering areas for social and academic purposes. La Casa also provides resources for parents of IU students and hosts a family weekend every fall. Other events include a yearly fall retreat, monthly Colectiva dinners and National Latine Heritage month programming.
La Casa is located at 715 E. Seventh St., across the street from Dunn Meadow. More information can be found at lacasa.indiana.edu.
A member of RAAS, a dance group at IU, dances March 27, 2024, in Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Bloomington. Asian Culture Center Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather said, “At the Asian Culture Center we enjoy planning and organizing events that really speak to the core of who we are."
LGBTQ+ Culture Center
The LGBTQ+ Culture Center provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and connects them with resources at IU and beyond. Programs include counseling, free HIV and STI testing, free safer sex supplies and the LGBTQ+ Peer Mentor Program, which pairs first-year students with trained returning student mentors. The center also offers Writing Tutorial Services, an LGBTQ+ library and a free gender affirming closet. The center helps LGBTQ+ students navigate housing, gender transition, finding scholarships and connecting with LGTBQ+ student groups at IU.
Events include guest speakers, a Queer Arts Showcase in March and Queer Prom in April.
The LGBTQ+ Culture Center is located at 705 E. Seventh St., across the street from Dunn Meadow. More information can be found at lgbtq.indiana.edu.
Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center
The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center was created by Herman Hudson, the first chair of the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at IU, in an era of student activism in the late 1960s. Since its founding, the center has provided services to Black students at IU as well as supported teaching and research missions, and connected students with other organizations around IU and Bloomington.
Programming includes monthly themed First Friday gatherings — which provide students with opportunities to connect with other students, faculty, staff and alumni — and a monthly Midday House Party — which allows students and NMBCC staff a more casual setting in which to socialize.
NMBCC also offers student development opportunities, Black History Month events and a Black Congratulatory Celebration, which honors students who have overcome great obstacles. The NMBCC has rental space available for events.
The NMBCC is home to the African American Arts Institute and its three performing groups: the African American Dance Company, the African American
Choral Ensemble and IU Soul Revue.
The NMBCC is located at 275 N. Eagleson Ave., attached to the back of the auditorium building. More information can be found at blackculture.indiana.edu.
