International Education Week will be bringing a variety of events to the Gannon University campus from Nov. 14 through Nov. 18. International Education Week celebrates diversity and education, as well as the benefits of international education.
The first event that will be held during this week will be the Coffee & Culture event. Coffee & Culture will be hosted by the African Student Organization from noon to 3 p.m. Monday in the second floor lobby of Beyer Hall.
Nnenna Igwe, a junior psychology major and secretary of ASO, said that the event will give Gannon students and faculty a chance to taste food and drinks from different cultures.
“With about 20 percent of Gannon students in the minority races, it is a taste of the small diversity we have here,” Igwe said.
Igwe said that the event was created in order to educate students and faculty about diversity because it can be forgotten.
Students who attend this event can expect the opportunity to try new foods such as jollof rice and plantain, a common dish in Nigeria and Ghana. After attendees taste the food, there will also be opportunities to discuss the cultures that the different foods come from.
Igwe said that this event is important because people should be aware of the culture differences that are spread amongst Gannon’s campus.
“This campus, as well as this country, is filled with different people from a variety of places,” Igwe said. “By sharing just a piece of that difference, we add to what makes this world beautiful and unique.”
All students and faculty can attend this event in order to educate themselves on different cultures.
Another event that will be held during International Education Week will be the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. This event will be taking place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Yehl Ballroom.
This event will be sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns and OPEN. Oxfam is a global movement to end poverty.
The banquet will be a simulation to help attendees get a better understanding of the issues of poverty.
Laura Goble, director of the Center for Social Concerns, said that the event will bring new information to students and faculty.
“We believe that attendees will leave with more knowledge, a greater sense of personal responsibility and inspired to contribute whatever they can wherever they can,” Goble said.
The event will not only focus on poverty and hunger, but it will also feature community leaders who are working to improve their communities.
This event will also include personal stories from domestic and international students.
HARLEE BOEHM
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