The Daily Campus

Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Matt Lin Students from UConn's Taiko club perform on their massive drums at International Night Thursday. Many other cultural groups performed at the event as well.

Thursday in Rome Ballroom an event took place unlike any other. Cultures from all over the world united in one room, fostering camaraderie among the UConn community. The 8th-annual International Night, sponsored by the Honors Council, was held to raise awareness of other cultures, bring members of various cultures together, and raise money for their I-Night Scholarship.

The room was filled with candle lit tables, with a stage and performance area in the middle. Guests were able to sample cuisine from various regions of the globe while watching several of UConn's student organizations perform. Moroccan, Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American foods were served.

"The food was delicious, especially the quesadillas," said Elise Nickerson, a 3rd-semester history major. who attended the event. "I had about eight of them, and I'm bringing some back to my room."

The performances were also very diverse. Several of UConn's cultural groups performed and performances ranged from a cappella singing to traditional drumming, dancing and martial arts displays. The crowd was really into the unique performances and all performers received strong applause.

"My roommate is in Taiko, a group that performed traditional Japanese drumming," said Sarah Sayadoff, a 5th-semester secondary math education major. "It's very important to give students the opportunity to express their cultures, backgrounds, and talents."

In addition to the food and performances, many of UConn's cultural groups set up tables with displays about their cultures and organizations. Among these groups were the Albanian Student Association, the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association, the Iranian Association of UConn, the Muslim Student Association, the Native American Cultural Society, the Polish Cultural Society, the Rainbow Center, Tarang and UConn AHEAD. Some of the more popular booths to visit were the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association's booth were visitors were encouraged to play with Diabolos, a classic Chinese yo-yo, and the Muslim Student Association's booth where visitors could get their names written in Arabic.

"This is such an important event because it really gets the whole university involved, and even the surrounding community," said Samantha Sherwood, a 7th-semester human development and family studies major and president of the Honors Council. "It's great to see so many people come out and support something I feel is very important.

"Coordinating the event was really tricky, but all of the [cultural] groups really stepped up," added Sean Easter, a 5th-semester mathematics education major and Honors Council social chair.

Overall the event was a great success. The room was packed and attendees were very enthusiastic. Everyone definitely came away with some new insight into other cultures, and some good food and entertainment to boot.



Contact Alyse Taub at
Alyse.Taub@UConn.edu.

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