Located in the Anderson University Center (AUC) 100, is the Scandinavian Center (SC)- a historic staple of Scandinavian and Norwegian culture at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).
PLU was founded by Norwegian minister, Bjug Harstad, in 1890, but the university didn’t incorporate its Scandinavian heritage into the buildings of PLU till later. “The Scan Center itself came into being in 1989, through a number of generous donations and work with the Nordic studies department,” says Maddie Lamwers, the Scandinavian Center’s current student intern.
Nordic culture at PLU isn’t just limited to the university. The rich history extends itself into a community that has embraced it well. “It’s safe to say that the Parkland community for a long time was very heavily Scandinavian, and the school reflects that,” says Lamwers. “…we have a lot of Alumni who are Scandinavian and our university has always had a strong tie to these immigrant roots.”
A huge part of what makes the SC possible are the dosants, a council of people whose job is to ensure the Center runs smoothly and keeps the purpose enacted. However, their presence is not common knowledge to everyone, much less their behind-the-scenes work.
“After COVID and after the cuts to the budget that cut these departments, they really just want people to talk to. And they want to help, but they don’t know how,” says Lamwers. This disconnect between the dosants and PLU students has made the SC a lesser known aspect of the now mere representation of Nordic culture that PLU has.
In 2021, PLU’s Board of Regents made significant budget cuts which resulted in many academic programs and faculty being terminated. Among those cuts were the Nordic studies department and wing in Hong Hall. All that remains as a semblance to PLU’s origins are the Nordic flag and the SC. Lamwers comments on this, stating that, “PLU student’s were upset when stuff was cut, and they’re [the dosants] all former PLU students, so the reaction was similar.”
The significance of their ties to immigrant roots at PLU has led to the dosants to question if their commitment to the SC has an impact. “Of course they were upset because they feel invested in the school’s legacy, and they feel like that was a part of their legacy,” comments Lamwers. “Just like anyone else, they want to be part of a community, and they’ve been here forever.”
The SC also lost their director to the Faculty Joint Committee (FJC) budget cuts of 2021. This development has ultimately led to a change in connection between the SC and the PLU community. “We don’t have that connection to the PLU community, which is why I was hired. With a director, they would teach courses on campus and they were, like, part of a department…”
Despite these challenges, Lamwers works to connect the dosants and PLU students in an effort to repair the relationship between the two. “My goal is to recognize that PLU is a changing place,” says Lamwers. “It looks a lot different than even five years ago. And that the space is for everyone to enjoy, and to use. The purpose of it is that PLU students get access to it.”
With the combination of changes and new ideas, Lamwers has some thoughts on how the Scandinavian Center will continue to connect with the PLU community in the future. “I want… students to have the same opportunity that I did to recognize that there’s a lot of really helpful resources that exist in a space that you should exploit because you pay for this school, so you should use them.”
