An abundance of activities are planned throughout November in celebration of Global Awareness Month.
Christy Burke, Director of Education Abroad and International Recruitment, said her office, in conjunction with the office of Diversity & Inclusion, and the Asian Studies and Latin American Studies programs, has planned events starting Thursday, November 1st. While all of the events are open to the campus community, there are some that are also open to the public.
“With collaboration across campus, we have expanded our Global Awareness Month program offerings to include a multi-cultural festival, two films, international food sampling and sports activities,” Burke said.
From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 1st in the Andrews Hall Great Room, Burkes’ office will host a Study Abroad Fair for students interested in education abroad.
“The Office of Education Abroad sponsors a study abroad fair to encourage students to explore international travel opportunities and an international photography contest,” Burke said. “A highlight for me each year is to hear from students who received Journey Beyond Marietta grants share their experiences, pictures and lessons learned while abroad.”
The following day, the Latin American Studies Program is hosting a special event in the newly opened Multicultural Center, which is located in the Arts & Humanities House.
“The Latin American Studies program and various other offices on campus are putting together the event to celebrate and create discussion and awareness around Dia de Los Muertos, or Mexican Day of the Dead,” said Emily Vigue ’19 (Junction City, Ohio). “For the event, we are planning on having some traditional treats and snacks, as well as showing the movie ‘Coco.’ ”
The event starts at 8:00 p.m. and is open to the campus community.
“My Spanish professor, Dr. (Samuel) Cruz, brought up the event and I thought it would be a great way to get involved and learn more about the holiday, especially because it is so important to Mexican culture and heritage,” Vigue said.
The first event that will be open to the community will be the Multicultural Festival, which is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 4th, in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion planned and organized the event.
On Thursday, November 8th, there will be a Geography Quiz during lunch in Gilman Dining Hall. Participants can win prizes during the quiz, which starts at 11:30 a.m. and continues until 1:00 p.m.
Assistant Professor Jenni Zhang and the Asian Studies Program lead a public event the following evening. The Folk, Sports & Lanterns event is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, November 9th on Harrison Lawn and in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.
“We will have a game day on campus including Hacky Sack challenge, Chinese rope jumping, human tic-tac-toe, and the ping-pong tournament,” Zhang said. “There will also be a make-a-wish lantern flying event in the evening.”
Zhang emphasized the event is free and open to the public.
“My goal is to bring the community together by organizing fun and healthy games with cultural elements,” Zhang said. “During the game events, participants will have fun learning about popular games in different countries, get to team up with people from a different culture and win gifts.”
Students and faculty will share their education abroad experience on Monday, November 12th during the Journey Beyond Marietta presentation. The presentation starts at 2:00 p.m. in Thomas Hall. Associate Professor Jaclyn Schweiterman, Assistant Professor Chyrsten Gessel and Athletic Training majors will talk about their experiences in Australia during the summer. Tom Farish ’20 (Fairview Park, Ohio) will also talk about his semester in Norway.
The celebration rounds out with Gilman Dining Hall featuring international cuisine during lunch on Wednesday, November 14th, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion will present the movie “Queen of Katwe” at 8:00 p.m. in the Multicultural Center on Friday, November 16th, and Legacy Library will feature international desserts throughout the day on Monday, November 19th.