International Week celebrates diversity on campus, around word

Last week, GC&SU celebrated International Week, which was organized by the International Club.

The celebration, which lasted from Oct. 24 through 28, featured an informative study abroad fair in front of Terrell Hall where students could learn about study abroad programs and scholarships and hear students’ first-hand study abroad experiences.

The festivities were evident last Friday as students gathered on front campus to learn about other cultures. The event also attracted numerous visitors from local elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and Georgia Military College.

Using passports provided by the International Club, local elementary and middle school children visited the variety of tables, asking questions about the countries represented. They also did scavenger hunting.

Dwight Call, assistant vice president for International Education, is pleased with this year’s event.

“I feel like we’re living up to the liberal arts standard, and I am pleased that we had such a great response. It is definitely another step to educating students about the many cultures and a way to open their eyes to all sorts of opportunities to know the world,” he said. “The International Club did a great job putting up the festivities, and I believe that we are only going to get better every year.”

Libby Davis, International Club’s adviser, agreed with Call.

“It’s a lot of work and a lot of commitment but it is rewarding to see how far we’ve taken this and how much we’ve enhanced the learning aspects of this university for students and the faculty. I always learn something new and I hope that the students are taking that in as well. We are always working to make these events better”.

International students and other students with international backgrounds represented their countries, providing informative displays about their culture through displays of jewelry, national costume, and native jewelry, samples of food, pictures and entertainment.

Some tables were interactive, with short workshops on how to create Japanese origami, how to create Pop-up books or have names or phrase written in Japanese or Chinese characters. Spectators also had a taste of global entertainment, as students sang in their native tongue or danced their native dance.

Carolina Broemmel, a German foreign exchange student and resident of the Casa Mondo Community in Adam’s Hall, served as the host of the entertainment program.

“I’m not doing it just because I’m a member of International Club or because I’m from another country,” Broemmel said. “I think it’s great that we can all come together and learn from each other as world citizens.”

Shannon Smith, a freshman, joined in celebrating International Week.

“I went around the world in 30 minutes. I’m glad we have events like these because I have learned so much in such a short period of time in a fun way,” Smith said.

Matthew Anderson, a psychology major, shared Smith’s enthusiasm.

“There are so many things that I have learned,d and I really believe that it helps widen my knowledge,” Anderson said. “I also enjoy traveling a lot so I got to ask questions about customs and culture of many of the countries I want to visit in the near future.”

For more information about the International Club or the study abroad program, contact Dr. Dwight Call at dwight.call@gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 4 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry