Have You Heard?

I am very excited about this upcoming week because it is International Week.

This year, International Week is from October 22 to October 26. Each day will feature various events centered on this year’s theme, “Gaining Perspective.” These events will allow students to learn about the cultures of other countries and their beliefs and values. The events will also enrich students’ perspectives on the world.

The week will include three major events. The first one is the Panel Discussion called “Gaining Perspective on the Current International Crisis.” The panel will be held on Tuesday, October 23, at 7 p.m. This discussion will be introduced by President Rosemary DePaolo and moderated by Dr. John Sallstrom. The Panel will include Richard Lou, Dr. Mary Magoulick, Dr. Greg Pepetone, Dr. C.K. Robertson, Dr. Amin Sarkar, Dr. Birgit Schaebler and other faculty members. Each of these faculty members will be giving their perspective on the crisis. This discussion will also allow students to see how the disaster is affecting our faculty and their views on it. I think it will be really interesting to hear what each of these faculty members has to say about the dilemma that our country is facing.

The next important event is the Study Abroad Fair, which will be on Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., located the walkway between the “Make A Wish” fountain in front of Arts and Sciences, Lanier Hall, Atkinson Hall, and Parks Hall. This fair will consist of table exhibits on maymester, summer, and semester study abroad programs such as Australia, Bahamas, Belize, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Spain and Sweden. Each table will have information on the program and an object that pertains to the country that the program is for. This is a great opportunity for students to find out information about any of the study abroad programs on the way to classes. Last year, some of the tables had pictures from recent study abroad programs available students to look at, and some of them also had an item that the country was known for. For example, Mr. Chris Hendley, assistant professor of music, made and served English Tea at the table on the study abroad program in England.

The United Nations International Day is Thursday, October 25. International Week will be celebrating this day with a demonstration of International Games from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on front campus. That demonstration will also include a ceremony and entertainment from all over the world from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Some of the faculty members will also share their international experiences from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium. The last event on Thursday is an ice cream social at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Science Auditorium. The International Education Committee, International Club, Honors and Scholars Program and the International Business Club will sponsor the ice cream social. The programs for the United Nations International Day will allow students to attend cultural ceremonies and functions from all over the world and learn about some of the faculty members’ study abroad experiences.

I highly recommend attending any of the programs throughout the week, because not only will they inform you about the world and other cultures, they will also expose you to the values, beliefs and views of other countries. Each program is geared toward providing the audience with a perspective on the world; therefore, attending any of these events will cause you to become more aware of views, values and beliefs of other countries. Most of these programs will not only inform you about the international views and study abroad programs here at GC&SU, but they will entertain you as well. The ceremony on front campus from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, should be entertaining since it will feature dancing and other cultural activities from various countries.

The International Education Committee, International Club, Honors and Scholars Program and International Business Club have put a lot of time and effort into finding and arranging an international week that is beneficial and interesting for all college students, so if you have any interest at all, you should attend at least one of these important events.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 19 2001. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry