International Week has been held on campus since 2007 in order to bring awareness of other cultures to Seton Hall. This year, the celebration will be expanded to span the entire month of October.
International Month will begin on Oct. 3 with University Day.
"We wanted to open up the celebration to include events that were happening toward the end of the month, and to give event sponsors an opportunity to schedule events with greater flexibility," Kirk Rawn, associate provost and main organizer for International Month said.
Activities will include Chinese and Japanese calligraphy workshops, a lecture on Canada's experience with the global financial crisis, a Chinese T'ai Chi Workshop, several films, and other presentations and cultural activities.
On Oct. 21, in addition to the normal International Celebration activities, there will be a panel discussion on the H1N1 Influenza Virus.
This is the only event that requires an RSVP as it will be followed by a luncheon.
Throughout the month of October, there will be performances from several professional musicians including Luis Bonilla, a jazz musician that will be performing at the South Orange Performing Arts Center and the University Book Store on Oct. 20.
One of the largest events during International Month, the International Festival of Culture and Cuisine, will take place Oct. 20 on the Green. The festival gives clubs the opportunity to participate. Students can sample food from different cultures while listening to the traditional music.
The South American flute ensemble, Eco Del Sur and the Iskra Ukranian Dance Ensemble will be performing at the festival.
There will also be a talent show featuring international students and group performances.
Daria Preston, sophomore and Secretary of Slavic Club, said that her organization plans to get involved this year.
"Last year at the Festival, our table was one of the most heavily visited and we ran out of food pretty quickly," Preston said. "We'll probably end up doing the same thing this year, serve hot perogies and baklava."
The World of Voices, an interactive event that will allow discussion among international and non-international members of the Seton Hall student body will take place on Oct. 22. The event is intended to promote a better understanding of cultures and ethnicities through dialogue.
Rawn is optimistic that students will take the opportunity to learn about other cultures.
"I hope that many in the university community will be able to set aside some time to enjoy some of the events," she said. "In the past two years, the events were well-attended."
"As we learn about other cultures and customs, it broadens our spirit of kinship and reminds us that we all share a limited resource: this planet we call ‘Earth," Rawn said.
Alyana Alfaro can be reached at alyana.alfaro@student.shu.edu.
