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| Event raises awareness,
celebrates diversity |
Jusitn Boulmay
Multicultural Beat
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Appalachian
State University’s second annual Diversity Celebration aims
to raise awareness for different lifestyles.
For five-and-a-half hours Tuesday, April 8, students can participate
in the event, which will be held throughout W.H. Plemmons Student
Union.
Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs Tracey L. Wright
said the purpose of the event was “to raise awareness for different
aspects of diversity, and also just to celebrate.”
Wright said diversity includes everything “from race to ethnicity,
different cultures, sexual orientation and religious diversity.”
Twenty-two organizations on campus will be involved, including the
Asian Student Association, the Pagan Student Association, the “I
Have a Dream” taskforce, the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP) and the ASU Sweethearts, Wright said.
High Country Amigos, a community-based organization, will also be
participating, Wright said.
All organizations involved will have booths set up with information
about their respective clubs. Some organizations will be offering
food as a means of raising money.
Students can also expect dancing, music, crafts and other activities,
Wright said.
Kappa Alpha Psi will be presenting a history of step dance, senior
psychology major and President of Kappa Alpha Psi Dale J. Slaughter
from Fayetteville said Monday.
“We’re a diverse group, and we want to do our part,”
he said.
Musical entertainment will include Mariam Cannon Hayes School of
Music associate professor Todd T. Wright, the men’s a capella
group Higher Ground, the ASU Gospel Choir and other groups, Wright
said.
Festivities will also include dancing. The Black Student Association
will be performing an African dance, and the Hispanic Student Association
will perform both a dance and song, Wright said.
Interactive activities will be offered as well, Wright said, including
a game of “cultural jeopardy.”
Food will be provided by CiCi’s Pizza, Los Arcoiris, Kentucky
Fried Chicken, Parthenon Cafe and the New China Buffet, Wright said.
ASU Sweethearts will be contributing by offering foods that are
a part of the African culture, Alexandria E. Elliot, a junior English
major from Kannapolis, said. Elliot thought the celebration was
a good chance to “let the people know … what our organization
stands for.”
“Last year it was not close to being this size,” she said.
“In fact, last year we were able to put all of our booths into
the Multicultural Center, which … is not a huge space.”
There were only 10 booths last year, Wright said, as opposed to
this year’s 22.
“We have really expanded our efforts,” she said.
The event will take place in the Grandfather Mountain Ballroom,
Crossroads Coffee House, Cascades Cafe and the Multicultural Center,
all of which are located in W.H. Plemmons Student Union.
The celebration starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. |
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