International Club Plans Spring Events

Brooke Burger
Editor-in-Chief

   The International Club held its first meeting Jan. 31 to discuss upcoming events for the spring semester.  Despite a low turnout for the meeting, the group scheduled several events.

  "We have a larger group normally," said Mary Whiting, adviser of the club.  "We had some people with conflicts today."

  The International Club's main event for this semester will span the week of Feb. 18 - 22.  International Week will include an international display, as well as international meals in the cafeteria.

   The club held the first international display a year ago.  The display provides international students the chance to share with the campus and Monticello communities items from their native country.  In the past, displays featured post cards, pictures, magazines and newspapers, figurines and clothing, among other items. 

   This year, students would like to include music, maps and personal photographs with their displays.  Dave General, graduate research assistant in the School of Forest Resources, suggested featuring short seminars on individual countries at the display or as a separate event.  The international display may also include door prizes for visitors.

   "We are encouraging people to learn more about our international students and international education as a whole," Whiting said of the planned events.

   The group welcomes and encourages international staff and faculty to participate in the displays as well.  Set up for the displays will take place Feb. 18 from 7:30 - 10 a.m., and possibly Feb. 15.

   Whiting also encourages faculty unit heads to announce the event to their students, as it will give students the chance to learn about their international peers, as well as other countries around the world.

   "Any small thing we do to teach and educate someone is helpful," she said.

   The campus and members of the community can view the international display in the Adams Room of Harris Hall on the following days:

• Feb. 18:  1 - 4 p.m.
• Feb. 19:  11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Feb. 20:  9 a.m. - Noon
  

   The group also scheduled five days of international meals with Aramark for International Week.  Feb. 18 - 22 the cafeteria will feature meals from Brazil, Australia, the Philippines, France and Germany during lunch.

   Dining Services will prepare the meals in the cooking display area where students can watch the staff prepare the meals.  Though the Aramark director picked the countries, some international students plan to share recipe with the staff.  Whiting said the international meals will also be open to the Monticello community as well as the campus community.

   "(We would like to see) the campus community embrace International Week - learn from what students bring from their countries and try some different food - challenge them to do something new," Whiting said.

   The International Club also discussed other possible events:

• Set a date for a luncheon with Chancellor Jack Lassiter, Provost David Ray and the executive body to meet with international students.
• Set a date for international students to dress in their countries' native dress.  The group discussed dressing up for the luncheon with the Chancellor or one day during the international display.
• Plan a trip to the Heifer International national headquarters in Little Rock.  The trip would only be open to international students.  According to its Web site, Heifer International works with communities to end hunger and poverty, as well as working with environmental measures.  For over 60 years, the organization has supplied millions of families in 128 countries with a source of food.

   The meeting ended with a birthday celebration for Bia da Silva, which included balloons, gifts and birthday cake.  Beia, originally from Sao Paolo, Brazil, celebrates another birthday in the United States.

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