| |
MU'S IN THE
NEWS
November 13, 2002 – R.A.C.E. events promote diversity
(STORRS, CT) The Mu Sigma Upsilon sorority coordinated the second annual
R.A.C.E. event (Recognizing and Celebrating Ethnicity) on Tuesday night
in the Rome Ballroom.
The night was filled with ethnic food, 11 different ethnic performances
and speeches covering a wide range of topics.
According to the President of the sorority, Michelle Salacan, a 9th-semester
graphic design major, R.A.C.E. is an important program because it represents
what the sorority is all about.
"There is definitely a need at UConn to be aware of the different
ethnicities on campus," Salacan said.
As the first multicultural Greek letter organization at UConn, the members
of the sorority said it is important to promote their cause.
"It is a time when people are coming together for something more
positive," said Hilary Jones, 3rd-semester Spanish and journalism
major. "We are working to spread the word around campus."
The festivities included performances from a number of different ethnic
organizations including the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc.,
the Celtic American Cultural Club and the Indian Students Association.
The German Club sponsored a performance from the H.S.V. Bavaria and
SUBOG sponsored a performance by the Sounds of Afrika.
A number of speeches were also made during the night. The first speech
was made by UConn student Jasmina Ceric regarding the issues regarding
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The keynote speaker of the night was Bobby Gonzalez,
a Taino Historian, who spoke regarding the indigenous heritage of Latin
America. The Undergraduate Student Government sponsored this aspect
of the night.
Gonzalez said he felt this was an important event to participate in.
"My aim is to raise awareness about the culture of Latin America
and the current issues that affect it," Gonzalez said. "You
can share music, share dance, share stories."
Gonzalez said this sharing of cultures is important, especially during
times like these; people need more of that.
There was also a performance by A Completely Different Note and Jujitsu
demonstration.
According to Dawn Jacobs, a 3rd-semester communications disorders and
Spanish major and sorority member, said the program has already expanded
from last year's event. This year's performance was on a much larger
scale in comparison to last year's event. According to Jones, over 20
student organizations participated in the event. Many of these organizations
had booths set up around the room with information, ethnic food and
ethnic music for students to experience.
This is only the second year that R.A.C.E. took place at UConn, but
it is a national event that many chapters of the Mu Sigma Upsilon sorority
put on annually.
According to Salacan, the R.A.C.E. program began 10 years ago at Rutgers
University and was brought to UConn last year. Salacan also said she
hopes the event will return every year.
"We hope to see it grow each year," Salacan said. "We
want to try to reach out to as many people as we can on campus."
--Kavita Tahilani, Daily Campus Staff Writer
|
|
