1. You've been assigned a paper on: Great African American Leaders.
   The Balfour Center has several resources (videotapes, books, etc.) pertaining to the contributions of African Americans.
   
2. You've been assigned a paper on: Great Hispanic American Entrepreneurs.
   The Balfour Center has resources pertaining to Hispanic leaders from an array of disciplines.  The Balfour Center's clippings library contains articles on the changing demographics in marketing.  This information might enhance a paper on the topic business enterprises in the Hispanic communities.
   
3. You're an RA (Resident Assistant) and you're wondering what to design for monthly multicultural celebration in your residence hall.
   The Balfour Center maintains ideas and resources for designing visual displays to mark various cultural holidays. 
   
   For example, The Balfour Center can also put you in touch with the Gaelic Society where there will be dozens of students willing to participate in your presentation as well as offer additional suggestions for your visual  designs.  You could also take several back issues of the periodicals, Irish Americans or Ireland of the Welcomes, both subscribed by the Balfour Center.
   
4. You would like to know more about your heritage.
   Multicultural students find a home in the Balfour Center.  On any given day there will be several cultures represented here among  our visiting students and faculty.  The staff of the Balfour Center can also introduce you to the leaders of any one of the cultural student organizations the Center moderates. The Balfour Center staff is in touch with faculty and staff from various cultural heritages and will  put you in touch with them.  There are numerous scholars, among our faculty, who would be willing to share information from their research specialties to help you explore your heritage.  Through these resources, you will surely find a significant amount of information about your culture.
   
   The Balfour Center also subscribes to Multicultural Review and the Multicultural  Education Journal, two resources that regularly feature information about various cultures.
   
5. You found out that Rhode Island has a rich Native American background.  You're wondering how you can learn more about the various nations of the Native People of this region.
   The Balfour Center maintains a mailing list of organizations, societies and other resources from  various cultures. The Rhode Island Indian Council is one of these resources.   The Center also has a book called Sweet Grass, Lives of Contemporary Native Women of the Northeastwritten written by a local Native American by the name of Mildred Noble. The Center also has a copy of The Scalpel and the Silver Bear, a memoir by Lori Arviso Alvord, M.D. and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt that talks about the first Navajo woman surgeon who combines Western medicine with traditional healing.
   
6. You took Spanish in high school and would like to practice the language so that you maintain your fluency.
   Through Amigos Unidos, one of the cultural student organizations moderated by the Balfour Center, you can meet native Spanish speakers who would be pleased to converse with you in Spanish. 
   
7. Your professor has assigned you to interview people from different backgrounds for your political science class project.
   The staff of the Balfour Center will be able to put you in touch with students, faculty and community resources where you may comfortably make contact with people who can assist you with your class project.
   
8. You plan to travel and would like to meet students from the country you are planning to visit.
   The Balfour Center collaborates with Providence Abroad and the International Students Office as well as with students who are recipients of scholarships within the Multicultural Scholarship Program.  The Balfour Center also has a copy of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to do Business in Sixty Countries, by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, and George A. Borden, Ph.D., and The Dictionary of Global Culture: The Global Citizens's Guide to Culture, Emphasizing the Achievement of the Non-Western World-What Every American Needs to Know As We Enter the Next Century, edited by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  Any one of these resources will be helpful in briefing you on the country you are planning to visit.
   
9. You were on the debate team while you were in high school and would like to continue to  develop your oratorical skills.
   The Balfour Center sponsors a Student Speaker's Bureau.  This public service provides churches, temples, community organizations, and local schools with Providence College students who serve as keynote speakers for programs and events.  The Balfour Center recognizes the expertise of students and offers them opportunities to share their cultural background experiences, their travel experiences, as well as college life experiences with others.  Speaking through the Student Speaker's Bureau offers many students opportunities to hone their speaking skills.
   
10. You are not certain about a social situation in which you will meet others of a cultural background different from your own.
    The staff of the Balfour Center is familiar with questions and concerns about cultural protocol.  What we don't know we'll consult those who can assist us and share that information with you.  The most common question that comes to us is, "What do I call 'them'?"
    

We understand the dilemma each of us has in keeping up with the politically correct terms for various cultures.  Most often our advice is to simply ask the person's given name.  That should be enough.  Should further information be necessary, our advice might be to just ask the individual how he/she prefers to be identified culturally.  Many will opt for their national background; but the best way to learn is to ask.  An additional resource is our Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage: A Guide To Nondiscriminatory Language by Rosalie Maggio.
 
We've just given you ten reasons to use the Balfour Center.  There are at least ninety other reasons to consult your Balfour Center for academic resources in areas of Multicultural Affairs!  We're looking forward to meeting you to help enhance your cross cultural understanding.  The Balfour Center is at our service.