The cold and snow didn’t stop more than 70 people from squeezing into the living room of the newly renovated Black Cultural Center for its rededication ceremony Thursday morning.

The BCC rededication, which was scheduled to take place outside the center at 517 Welch Ave., was moved indoors due to the inclement weather.

The BCC is “a home away from home” for African-American students, said Allan Nosworthy, president of BBC.

A mission statement of the organization was given by Aaron Davenport, member of the board of directors and treasurer of the BCC.

He said the BCC’s goals are to develop a sense of community in Ames among students, faculty and staff of African descent, design education programs to help people learn of contributions African- Americans have made to the world, and to be a support mechanism for African-American students by encouraging inclusiveness and the acceptance of diversity.

ISU President Martin Jischke noted the ceremony was “a celebration of the recognition and rebirth of the BCC.” The birth of the BCC 20 years ago was a result of the efforts of several hundred students, faculty and people of the community, he said.

“They created something physical and spiritual. Something that would be a cornerstone of this community’s efforts to expand and celebrate its cultural diversity,” he said.

The first opening of the center was in 1970 and was “a positive signal of how Ames and the Iowa State community was going to address the challenges of that time,” he added.

Jischke said the rededication ceremony was like a rededication to the spirit of diversity.

The important role the center plays in the educational mission of the university will always remain constant, he said.

“ISU is dedicated to the academic success of the next generation of leaders and all their wonderful cultural diversity,” he said.

Nosworthy said the center is much more usable now, with a working kitchen and a more usable library.

“We can’t serve students if we aren’t able to operate,” he said.

Assistant Professor Carlie Tartakov said the center was one of two reasons she decided to come to Iowa State.

It convinced her that she would be able to get the cultural support her spirit would need to make it in this Midwestern town.

“The BCC has more diversity than most organizations on campus,” she said. It also serves as a refuge and a home base, she said.

The BCC is a place “to gather, relax and let your hair down, but it’s also a place to study, to hold programs and to hold meetings,” Tartakov said.

Rafael Rodriguez, director of minority student affairs, also spoke at the ceremony.