SE plans annual multicultural fest
by Tori Wilson, Reporter

   For the past few years, SE Campus has celebrated the diversity of its students with a festival in honor of Diversity    Awareness Month. This year is no exception, and the event is Thursday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Ballroom and Main Commons.
    Dr. Elizabeth Joseph, associate professor of English, and Phillip Diu, a former student, started this SE Campus tradition in April 2001.
   “The purpose of the festival is to promote culture and cultural diversity,” she said.
   Festival planners believe it benefits students who attend. According to Joseph, surveys have shown that 49 out of 50 students who attended said they enjoyed themselves.
   Nita Halliburton, student development coordinator and one of the festival organizers, explained why the results are so good.
   “The fact is some students feel ignored when it comes to their culture, and to actually see that someone is celebrating it makes them feel appreciated,” she said.
   Benita Reed, sponsor of the Black Legacy Student Organization, helps with the multicultural fest.
   “We have the opportunity to appreciate other cultures as well as our own,” she said.
   “It gives us the chance to remind us of our own cultures,” she said.
    The three event sponsors agreed this year’s festival will definitely give students a better understanding of different cultures.
    Among those represented are African Americans, Hispanics, Africans and Asians.
    The event will feature foods from different cultures, various ethnic performances and a multicultural fashion show that will include Indian, Muslim African and Asian styles.
    Reed said students should participate because the festival will allow those of different cultures to become closer.
    Reed believes students will have the opportunity to discover the similarities that the different cultures share.
    In addition, the artists and displays relay messages that will help students learn more about other cultures, Reed said.
    Students can use this festival as a way to escape for about an hour and a half, Reed said.
    Reed thinks the festival provides a way for them to take their minds away from daily stresses.