With its bare front lawn and almost empty rooms, the new Native American House may not be much to look at yet, but there are many goals for the house and its new space; staff members said they are excited about new programs they will soon be able to offer.

Located at its new residence at1206 W. Nevada St., the Native American House is the culmination of more than a decade of student efforts to create a space to celebrate and learn about the Native American culture.

"We want the house to be a cultural center for Native American students," said Dr. Brenda Farnell, associate professor in anthropology and acting director of the Native American House. "This is their house, their space to come and meet each other and study the culture."

Farnell said the house is primarily meant to "educate against ignorance."

The need for a house was recognized by a group of graduate students in the early 90s, said Victoria Wade, research assistant for the Native American House, coordinator for recruitment and Seneca-Abenaki Indian.

"No one really knew what the culture was," Wade said. "There were no Native American studies when there were other ethnic studies programs.

The graduate students decided they needed a place to meet and come together.

"It's been a constant struggle and we are constantly reinforcing what our needs are," Wade said.

For now, the Native American house is trying to focus on recruitment for both students and faculty. There are a total of 93 Native American students, which includes both undergrads and graduates, Farnell said.

Farnell said she hopes the house will help Native Americans on campus accomplish three main goals.

The first is to develop an American Indian Studies program, which would require creating new courses and hiring new faculty.

Farnell said there are currently few classes that deal with Native American culture, but they are scattered throughout the history, english, anthropology, law and education departments. Farnell and Wade hope to build these courses into a minor. They also want to structure a graduate program and eventually develop an undergraduate major.

The second goal of the house is to act as a liaison between Native American students and student support programs. The house will help Native American students with issues such as financial aid, housing, counseling and various student affairs, said John McKinn, Maricopa Indian and assistant director of the house.

"Native American students like to see other Native American students at the university they attend; they like to hear their experiences," McKinn said. "It's important for prospective Native students to interact with current Native students: it helps get them oriented to programs that are available."

The final goal of the house is to act as a source of cultural programming for the campus community. With the Native population making up less than 1 percent of the campus community, Farnell said creating programs for these students are at the forefront of her mind. But she said anyone who is interested is welcome to come and find out what the Native American House has to offer.

The house will be giving a presentation on the Miami Illinois Language Project on Oct. 9 in the Lucy Ellis Lounge of the Foreign Language Building. The project is an attempt to revitalize the Native language once spoken in central Illinois. For information about the Native American House or its activites, students can call 265-9870 or write to nah@uiuc.edu.