The Student Government Association’s annual Diversity Week began Monday, Nov. 14, and runs through Nov. 18 with many activities planned to exhibit UTM’s diversity.
The Multicultural Affairs Committee of the SGA has been planning the weeklong event since earlier this semester. Jonathan Whitaker is the committee chair.
Throughout the week, the events begin at 7 p.m. daily and last anywhere from 9 to 10 p.m.
On Monday, Nov. 14, students celebrated the “Wave of Culture: Celebration of Flags.” There was a ceremony to celebrate the newly placed flags in the UC.
The UC administrative staff had ordered a new set of country flags to appropriately represent the current population of the student body.
Several professors spoke at the event on their cultures or on the cultures that interested them, including Dr. Lucia Florido, Dr. Kyoko Hammond, Dr. Daniel Nappo, and Dr. Chara Van Horn.
“I can’t wait to learn about the different cultures from the professors’ speeches,” said Freshman Council member Amber Suggs, who organized the event.
For Tuesday, Nov. 15, Freshman Council member Casey McNeil organized the Cultural Cuisine event. There was food representing cultures from Greek to Mexican, as well as Italian to French.
Students enjoyed food such as pita bread, salsa, Italian pizza, tiramisu, and other various foods.
The event was a buffet-style, all-you-can-eat event.
“Jonathan and I are dedicated to diverse, delicious delicacies,” McNeil said.
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, “A Night in Nihon” (A Night in Japan) takes place at 7 p.m. in 111 UC. Freshman Council member Shyanne Warren and SGA Sen. Richard Drewry organized the event.
There will be traditional Japanese snacks and drinks served during a movie, “Memoirs of a Geisha.” There will also be a performance piece on the marimba by Drewry.
“I’m very excited to see our event come together and I’m looking forward to seeing the student turnout. We’ve worked really hard on it,” Warren said.
On Thursday, Nov. 17, SGA will present an International Runway at 7 p.m. outside between the Library and the UC.
Students will model traditional dress and costumes from diverse countries such as Mexico, Greece, Japan, etc.
“I’m pumped about showing off the diverse style and fashion of the world (UTM culture) with the help of Jonathan,” said Freshman Council member Jessica Stephens, who coordinated the event.
On Friday, Nov. 18, SGA will host a Diversity Week Trivia Bowl at 7 p.m. in 111 UC.
The winning team will receive prizes that have been donated from the UTM Bookstore.
The teams need to consist of four people each. There is no need to sign up ahead of time, since registration will happen at the event.
If you don’t have enough people to form a team, individuals are encouraged to show up, and they will be placed on a team.
Freshman Council member Dimitric Brown was responsible for organizing the event, and had help from the rest of the Multicultural Affairs Committee.
Brown said he appreciated the help from the committee and applauded the group’s team spirit.
“Individually, we are one drop,” Brown said. “Together, we are an ocean.”
