The Voice

Next week is International Week. This will be a very eventful week, chock full of films, discussions, displays and presentations.

“The Colonnade” staff encourages you, the student body, to explore International Week and go to the events.

You are bound to learn all sorts of things you never knew–things you never imagined.

Often, people don’t understand differences and diversity. Often, we don’t like people who are different from us. Even within our own country, some Americans don’t like other Americans because of some difference. Some people don’t like white people. Some don’t like Jewish people. Some don’t like people who are from the North. Just because there is a difference.

We need to appreciate diversity. It’s what makes us more interesting and more knowledgeable. Talk with that Jewish person and learn about different religions. Ask that Northerner what she or he likes most about the South. Hang out with that white person. Find out what it’s like to be a different color–share your racism encounters with one another. See if that international student in your marketing class would like to study with you. Learn about the differences between his or her world and yours.

While you are on your way to appreciating diversity and differences, you will probably discover some similarities you and that different person have. You’ll find out that you have some things in common.

Attend next week’s events. Chat with the international students and ask them about their countries. Go to the presentations and listen to people’s stories and experiences in far away places of the world. Participate in the panel discussion on America’s current role in the world arena. Be a part of the U.N. International Day celebration with its colorful displays and cultural performances. Visit the Study Abroad Programs exhibits. Wouldn’t that be awesome to skip out of the U.S. this Maymester or summer and go to school in Italy, Belize, Sweden, China or Russia?

Get some culture about you. Expand your mind. Next week’s events will allow you to see things from other viewpoints and perspectives and understand today’s world issues.

Start to appreciate people’s differences–here in the United States and aboard. International Week is the week to begin.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 18 2002. Filed under Our Voice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry