Globalpalooza, a multicultural and multi-organization event, filled the Brower Student Center with music, food and activities from various parts of the world on Sunday.
The event marks its third year at the College and the first year to be sponsored by both the College Union Board (CUB) and the Student Government Association (SGA). Featured in the student center were 29 student organizations grouped together representing 14 different countries with their respective stands and posters.
Greek and non-Greek organizations teamed up to provide snippets of cultural information and different activities. At the Japanese section, students were shown how to create origami and write Japanese calligraphy. Next door, at the Mexican station, students learned about Mexican culture and could make beaded necklaces or bracelets. Many students gravitated to Switzerland, where a chocolate fountain was used to cover fruits and pretzels.
Students were constantly entertained from musical performances booming throughout the atrium, including Los Mas Valientes, a group of Latin musicians featuring the sounds of the flute, piano, bass and congas. Student performers included Gospel Choir, Sign Language Ministries, Barkada, iTunes, Hellenic Society and Taiko.
There was also food, and lots of it. Sitting in the middle of the food court were tables lined up end-to-end with food sampled from different countries set up buffet style. Whether you wanted chicken and cheese taquitos or chicken parmesan, there was enough food to feed hundreds of people.
"I think it is particularly important for (the College) to offer events such as Globalpalooza in which differences are celebrated in an exciting and interactive way," Tracy Magielnicki, junior English major and one of the coordinators, said. "If students are not typically surrounded by a diverse environment, this event serves as a way to break that barrier and encourage them to try something new."
Globalpalooza is as relieving an event as it is entertaining for many. According to collegeboard.com, only 38 percent of the College community is Non-White and Globalpalooza offers a sample of ethnicities and cultures not usually represented in the campus community.
"As a student here in a predominately white school, I really appreciate Globalpalooza because two of my backgrounds aren't recognized by the popular culture," Dominic Rivera, sophomore English teaching major, said. "I'm half Dutch and half Filipino, and I appreciate it when other countries are represented like this."
