By Rina Dishman
(A special thank you goes to Professor Joan Ericson, GREAL Dept. and Marianna McJimsey, Education Dept. for the information used to write this article)
The Asian Language House on campus has an interesting backstory despite being the newest Language house at CC. In March of 1994, Paul Maruyama, Armin Wishard (German Department), Marianna McJimsey (Education Department and Asian Studies), Bob McJimsey (History Department) and nine CC students were hosted in Fujiyoshida, Japan, the sister city of Colorado Springs, during spring break. The faculty members listed above were invited by Mr. Omura Sakae, a retired English teacher and high school principal, who expressed great interest in reviving the sister city connection between Fujiyoshida and Colorado Springs. As an active member of the Rotary Club in Fujiyoshida, Mr. Omura proposed the idea of funding a Japanese language house and Japanese garden. Because of this proposal, the citizens of Fujiyoshida raised and donated money to the Japanese program at CC, which was used to fund the first “Japan House” on the CC campus in 1995. The building was the former residence of Miss Agnes Donaldson, who served as the dean of women at CC. It was next to the current Interdisciplinary House; although it was bulldozed and is now a parking lot, the first house was home to both students and a Japanese language tutor, Kaori Katsumata from Fujiyoshida, with a CC student as an RA. Though the CPC (Cultural Program Coordinator) system had not yet been introduced, Professor Ericson served as the faculty liaison for the Japan House since her arrival at CC from 1996 on. Though it served as a unique place for student housing for a number of years, this original Japan House was bulldozed in the early 2000’s, since the building regulations did not meet the college’s housing requirements,.
In 2002, there was a study trip to Japan to study traditional Japanese gardens, and the backyard of the then Japanese and Chinese Language House was redone by a master gardener from Japan, with the help of Professor Ericson’s FYE students in 2003. Shortly after, a system was put in place that brought an RA from Japan, through a partnership with Kansai Gaidai. Chinese language assistance was also brought into the house with new funding, though US visas were oftentimes hard for Chinese university students to acquire at the time. With the new CPC programs put in place in the language house after funding issues were resolved, both Japanese and Chinese CPCs were given equal amounts of funding, which is the CPC system that CC observes today. Around ten years ago, a number of faculty members inquired about renaming the building to be called the Japanese and Chinese Language House, which soon became the official name of the new building. In order to better reflect the diversity of students who wished to live in the house, it was later renamed again to be called the “Asian Languages House”. The current house can accommodate up to thirteen students, one Japanese CPC and one Chinese CPC. The CPCs host many events for both house residents and the CC public alike. They help to create a comfortable and inclusive environment for students who are either interested in learning Japanese and Chinese language, as well as the culture of both countries.
Thanks to the revival of the sister city connection of Fujiyoshida and Colorado Springs by Mr. Omura, gracious donations from the citizens of Fujiyoshida, and efforts of the students and faculty members who made the initial trip happen, CC was able to construct the first Asian-based language house. The current Asian Languages House still serves as a reminder of what a strong desire for international exchange can do to foster the learning of languages and cultures of foreign countries.
