Some Asian American leaders said they hope the proposed Asian center will be on the scale of the Latino center, which was completed in 2003 for $10 million.
The Latino center, at 2600 Live Oak St., includes a 300-seat theater, an art gallery and several rooms that can be used for meetings, literary readings and study programs.
The feasibility study on the Latino center was initiated in 1994, but the center wasn't completed for nine years, largely because advocates had problems raising money, choosing a site and agreeing on a name.
According to city officials, 60 percent of the construction costs was paid for with city-approved bond money. The remaining 40 percent came from private matching funds.
"Fundraising was a stumbling block until the Meadows Foundation stepped in and donated property for the center," Mr.
Financial aid offers students several different options, but sometimes it just isn't enough.
Julie Buck, a BYU alumni, will be attending graduate school at Columbia University in New York City this Fall.
"I have been assured by the folks at Columbia that if I can fund the first year, they will find a way to fund years two and three," Buck said.
Her first year of school will cost $57,000, including room and board, tuition and fees.
Financial aid applications have yielded only $18,000 in loans for Buck, but with the school year nearing she refuses to turn back.
"I'm taking a huge leap of faith and going back to school," she said. "Failure, at this late date, is not an option."
With few options left, Buck has turned to the Internet and the kindness of strangers for help.