The housing problems of Hmong refugees in the San Joaquin Valley attracted the attention of a construction design class at the University of California at Fresno. Students proposed building a new Hmong community of prefabricated houses clustered to imitate the patriarchal clan villages found in their homeland. Opponents of the plan felt the structure would isolate the Hmong, while supporters believed the plan would help the Hmong gradually assimilate into American society. Hmong leaders have shied away from direct involvement in the project. One approach to implementing the students' plan would use the Hmong's own labor and land donated by a foundation for loan collateral. However, interest in the Hmong may be declining, and this may make funding even more difficult to acquire. The students' planned community has attracted the interest of others who see it as a model for various immigrant groups.