International House Berkeley

"The experience of living at International House influenced many in the way they have lived their lives and viewed the world." — International House Board member the problem of the Middle East which resulted in free speech becoming an established principle of the House; the men and women who met at the House and later became husband and wife; the patio talk that often lasted from lunch to the dinner hour; language tables and Council meetings where communication was often louder than it was perfect; the Festivals where students of six different countries danced the tarantella and hundreds of campus and community people came to watch, enjoy and mingle. So few foreign students had been studying in the U.S. between 1942-46 that to exchange ideas on a friendly international level was new and exciting for everybody. The International House motto 'That Brotherhood May Prevail' was taken seriously and considered a personal and individual responsibility. Scores of these 'Golden Age' friendships have Relaxing at the soda fountain, 1947 one carton of milk permitted per person. Whenever a program was scheduled, the residents had to fold up the picnic tables and benches and clean the auditorium floor. When it was over, residents again cleaned up, returned the tables and benches before breakfast the next morning. All was volunteer labor. The total residence, program and community activities staff consisted of three professional employees and two secretaries. Obviously, the residents did most of the work. Social consciousness was high. Through some personal, and some official I-House actions, the Berkeley fire department was racially integrated, as were the public rooms at the Claremont I-House residents in national dress celebrate Spring Festival, 1949 Hotel. Restrictive covenants against minority ownership of residential property in the Berkeley hill area were challenged – and fell. A Berkeley campus fraternity was racially integrated for the first time in University history by a group of International House residents. So, what made those years 'Golden'? Friendships made on shared ski trips to Yosemite; the all-night conversations between British and Indian students who had gone through the pain of Indian independence; the heated discussions of 6

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