The International Student Association (ISA) will host International Week April 17-23, offering opportunities to explore cultures, food and the lives of Southeasts international students.
The week kicks off with International Olympics at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 17, in the Student Recreation Center- North. Games will include basketball, soccer, volleyball and table tennis. For more information about this event, please contact Ryunosuke Michael Ota at rota1s@semo.edu.
Next, ISA will host its first International Trivia Night at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 18, in the University Center Indian Room. The event is open to all Southeast students. Teams will consist of five to six players.
On April 19, the Study Abroad Programs at Southeast Missouri State University in association with the International Center and ISA, will host the Study Abroad Fair from noon-1 p.m. in the University Center. This event will help students learn more about spending a semester or two abroad while gaining exposure to a different culture and earning college credit.
Next will be a panel discussion titled WOMAN UP- A quest for cultural experience, hosted by the International Students Association. This event is scheduled for noon-1 p.m. April 20 in Dempster Auditorium. The discussion aims to promote and share the journey of international female students and highlights their achievements in a foreign land to help promote Women Empowerment in the community and encourage millions of girls around the world to follow their dreams. This is a collective effort of the ISA team to promote WOMAN UP on campus.
The week will culminate with an International Festival at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, in the Student Recreation Center-North. ISA will host booths for the current international organizations on campus, with each organization offering food and games that represent their culture. Each category will be judged by university representatives. The festival also will feature talent and fashion shows, and results of the International Olympics will be announced.
The International Festival is sponsored by the Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity and the Student Government Association. Participating organizations are the Bangladeshi Student Association, Brazilian Student Association, Chinese Student and Scholar Association, European Association, Indian Sub-Continent Student Association, Japanese Student Association, Nepalese Student Association, Saudi Arabian Student Association, Sri Lankan Student Association, Student Organization of Latinos and the Syrian and Iran Community.
On the heels of International Week, Latino weekend will be introduced by a Brazilian Carnaval, hosted by the Brazilian Student Association, at 6 p.m. April 29 at Centenary United Methodist Church, 300 N. Ellis Street in Cape Girardeau.
The Carnaval will be a high-energy night celebrating the richness and diversity of Brazil with traditional Brazilian dishes, games and interactive performances. The highlight of the night will be a live performance by Samba Bom, a renowned Samba Live Brazilian music and dance group, bringing the Carnaval energy to the heart of Cape Girardeau. Other performers will be DJ Coty Kellison, Dill Costa, a prominent Brazilian vocalist and actress who participated in several Brazilian television dramas and Carnaval parades in Rio de Janeiro, and Moacyr Marchini, a renowned Brazilian percussionist and singer.
The event is sponsored by the Cultural Exchange Network, Student Government Association, DICE, Residence Hall Association, JAAC, Jimmy Johns and Burritoville.
From 8 p.m.-midnight on Saturday, April 30, the Student Organization of Latinos will hold a Latino Night in the West Gym of the Student Recreation Center-North. This event will include popular Latino music, dance– salsa, merengue and cumbia– and food. Tostadas and traditional Mexican beverages aguas frescas,both horchata and jamaica flavors, will be served.
Additionally, The Office of the President joins with the Student Organization of Latinos, the Brazilian Student Association, and the Department of Global Cultures and Languages in supporting a fundraising effort for the earthquake devastation in Ecuador. Students will be accepting donations in the University Center from noon to 1 pm., April 25-29 and throughout Latino weekend, including the Brazilian Carnival and Latino Night. Donations can also be dropped off at the Department of Global Cultures and Languages, Art Building 203.
All cash and check donations will be given to the American Red Cross to help with the relief efforts. Checks should be made payable to the American Red Cross with the memo ‘Ecuador Relief Effort.’ One-hundred percent of the donation will be directed to the Ecuador relief effort.
For more information on these events, contact Karen Muramatsu at ksouzamuramatsu1s@semo.edu or https://www.facebook.com/events/772819692844819/ and https://www.facebook.com/isaatsemo/.