A smattering of students sat slumped over thick textbooks at the HUB-Robeson Center last night.

Some were listening to headphones, others held neon highlighters in their hands and still others lined up at the counter of the Chat's café, seeking a late-night dose of caffeine.

Then noises began to come from the second floor.

First came chanting, then the pounding of feet stomping on the ground in unison and finally there was the rhythmic beat of African drums.

These sounds, floating down the stairwell and filling the building, came from a hallway tucked a few yards behind the HUB Information Desk.

Members of the NOMMO Performing Arts Company in colorful, traditional African dress, unlocked the doors to Heritage Hall, inviting a group of onlookers into the opening celebration of The Africana Research Center.

After many months of planning and preparation, the concept for the research center has become a reality.

It was granted funding last year as part of a list of demands student and community protestors were able to convince university administrators to agree to.

The protestors, dubbed "the Village," ate, slept, studied and prayed in the HUB-Robeson Center for more than a week last spring, while student leaders negotiated behind closed doors for an initiative that caters to the needs of minority students.

At the opening of the newly formed research center last night, a brief video documentary of those protests followed NOMMO's performance.

Cary Fraser, director of the new center, said the impact of the protests can be seen within the academic community. "The Village helped shift decisively the way in which things were perceived within the university," he said.

Jo Dumas, creator of the documentary, said that although she was busy with her research during the protests, she took the time to videotape them because she thought they warranted documentation.

"We thought it was important to have a short video story," she said.

Fraser said his goals for the center are threefold. He aims to use it to recruit more faculty for African and African-American issues, to broaden the university-wide curriculum and to create a sense of community that will result in more possibilities for all students.

Black Caucus Vice President Takkeem Morgan was granted the Thurgood Marshall Award last night for his work as a community activist.

Over the past two years, he has pushed for this project and others to be created. "To see something come into fruition is very pleasing," he said.

He said this is only the beginning for the center, but it is still a large victory. "If you persevere and you work hard enough for something, it will be," Morgan said.