The Intercultural Center has presented senior administrators with a $105,000 proposal to renovate the second floor of the ICC building in order to create a multipurpose room.Currently, the space contains offices for seven clubs and has an office for the ICC director. The offices are not useful because of their small size, club leaders and ICC officials say.

"The renovation will really allow more people to take advantage of the space of the ICC and see it as a resource," ICC Director Sujan Talukdar said.

ICC members hope to have the office walls removed to allow for open space which, they say, could be used for cultural workshops, practice for dance groups and academic classes.

Director of Intercultural Development Diana Chiang '07 said the Swig Lounge on the first floor doesn't meet the needs of student groups including dance groups because it has no mirrors. "Dancers shouldn't have to use the building's windows as mirrors."

Student Union President Alison Schwartzbaum '08 said the project would be funded by Chief Operating Office Peter French and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy.

Schwartzbaum said she hopes for the project to be completed in time for the fall semester. Eddy's office said it did not yet have enough information to comment.

French also said he wasn't sure yet when the project would begin and that he had not heard about it until recently.

The Union Senate passed a resolution in support of the proposal at its April 23 meeting. Chiang, who wrote the resolution along with Schwartzbaum, said the offices "are pretty much a mess," too small to be used for anything but storage.

"Our E-Board tried to have meetings there, but it was really hard to have meetings because not everyone could fit," Chiang, who was also on the E-Board of two ICC groups, said.

If the proposal passes, three larger downstairs offices would be shared by all of the ICC clubs.

"We spoke very candidly about what it would be like to share space," Talukdar said. "BBSO uses their office on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it only makes sense for a group to be able to use it on Thursday or the weekend."

Yesenia Crespo '09-the ICC representative of Ahora!, which is one of the clubs that would lose exclusive control of its large office--said Ahora! is fine with sharing its room.

Yuki Hasegawa '09, president of the Japanese Student Association, said "having a bigger room, even if it's shared, might even be more efficient because our room is only used a few hours a week, and only five people can sit there."

If the room is constructed, Talukdar said, "We won't have to go outside anymore for many events."

The director's office will be relocated downstairs, and Talukdar said she feels it will be better for the office to be located closer to where the majority of the students' activities take place.

Schwartzbaum said this project will allow the University to show its commitment to diversity.

"The University talks about how it values diversity, but how often do we see the administration taking a stance to show it?" she said.