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January 25, 2010 —
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION SCHEDULED
The Chinese Student Association (CSA) in collaboration with the Office of International Programs will host a Chinese New Year celebration commemorating the year of the tiger in the Student Activities Room on Friday, Feb. 5, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The goal is to introduce an important, widely celebrated Chinese tradition to the SVSU community while making Chinese students feel more at home, said Yang Liu, international student adviser and adviser to the CSA.
“It’s like our Christmas,” she explained.
Those in China celebrate by taking time off from school and work to spend with family.
Lui recalls her first Chinese New Year away from home.
“It was the hardest time for me,” she said. “I was finishing grad school and I looked out the window to see it was just a normal day. I didn’t feel anything special about it.”
Lui hopes the SVSU celebration will help Chinese students feel that they have family on campus while providing other students with a taste of their culture.
Chinese style appetizers will be served following a performance prepared by the CSA.
GROUP TO PROMOTE CROSS CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
A new Student Association sponsored program seeks to offer students a chance to intermingle with cultures.
Sponsored by SA’s Legislation and External Affairs Committee, “Cardinals Without Borders” aims to partner an exchange student with an American student and help strengthen ties between groups that might not ordinarily mix, said SA parliamentarian Julie Boon.
The hoped-for result is a more cohesive student body, Boon said, as well as an opportunity for nonAmerican students to learn more about politics as the midterm elections approach in November.
A program known as Conversation Pods — a language practice–based club — seeks a similar goal. The difference between the two groups will be the new program’s focus on politics and current events, which are within the scope of SA’s Legislation and External Events Committee.
No students will be turned away, but students will be matched on a first-come, first-served basis. An e-mail was sent to students Thursday night, and a pitch will be made to the International Students Club to join the project. While the program will not turn down applicants, Boon foresees a challenge in getting each international student a partner who can meet with them at least three times a month.