Cultural Connection - Fall 2012

M ULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER F ALL 2012 E DITION A BOUT THE M ULTICULTURAL N EWSLETTER ...

The concept of the Multicultural Newsletter is to provide an avenue for information, updates, opinions, news, and events that will expand the cultural horizons of all Ripon College students. Each issue will include upcoming cultural student

organization events, articles and opinion pieces by Ripon College students, and see the great things the student activities office is doing.

atmosphere and events present not only on the Ripon College campus, but around the United States and the world.

The ultimate hope of this newsletter is that the reader (s) will find him/herself more aware of the cultural

F ALL 2012 I NTERNATIONAL S TUDENT O RIENTATION 17 August 2012

By Kyonna Withers During International Student Orientation in August, the 10 new students, upperclass international students and a few Orientation Counselors headed to Ripon Plaza Bowl for a new experience.

Majority of the new students had never

bowled before; however, these students were fast learners. Kyaw Khine won the game of his lane on

his first try. Go Kyaw go! The students were excited and enjoyed their first social outing in Ripon!

I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :

O RIENTATION B OWLING

1

N EW S TUDENT P ROFILES

2

F ONDUE F EST

3

F ALL B REAK T RIP

3

I NTERNATIONAL M ONTH

4

H ISPANIC H ERTIAGE H ISTTORY M ONTH

5

U PCOMING

6

EVENTS

M ULTICULTURAL

P AGE 2

NEWSLETTER

M EET THE N EW R IPON C OLLEGE I NTERNATIONAL S TUDENTS !!

T HIS

FALL R IPON WAS FORTUNE TO WELCOME 10 NEW STUDENTS FROM MANY COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD . H ERE ARE A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT THEM !

Tanique Allen is a first

Minh Do is a first year who

year intending on majoring in

wants to major in Business.

Chemistry. She is from

His hometown is Ha Tay,

St.Catherine, Jamaica. Some

Vietnam. He likes soccer,

fun facts about her is that she

playing games and watching

loves to swim, enjoys loud rock

movies!

music and is a die-hard Whovian :)

Yelin Lee is a first year majoring in Global Studies. Her hometown is Gwangju, South Korea. Fun facts about her is that she loves playing guitar and converting songs in her own acoustic versions. She

Mebrahtu Kasa is a first

can compose her own songs on guitar

year and thinking about double

too. Singing is a skill of hers when she

majoring with Chemistry and

plays the guitar. She used to do duets

majoring in Art History and

Economics. He is from

and play guitar and sing in a band.

minoring in Museum Studies.

Mekelle, Ethiopia the second

Her hometown is Yangon,

biggest city in Ethiopia. A

Myanmar. She loves art and

funny fact about him is he is a

architecture and is interested in

born comedian, he can make

history and development of

anyone laugh !

Myat Aung is a first year

design. She is exhilarated,

Kyaw Khine is a first

funny, and very upfront and

year majoring in

loves to be outdoors. Her

Environmental Studies with a

favorite place is a place that is

goal to work in a nature

new and fascinating!

conservation organization in

Fanglin (Vivian) Bai is a

his country. He comes to us

Myo Naung is a first year majoring in Biology and is from Yangon, Myanmar. He thinks sleeping is one of the best things created!

Alem Reda is a first year who comes from Mekele, Ethiopia. He intends to major in Math and Economics. He likes playing Soccer & Tennis!

Chuchen Tan is a first year

first yeatr from Zhengzhou,

from Myanmar and hometown

majoring in Biology and thinking about

China. Her major is Business

of Yangon, a city with a 6

a second major in French. She is from

with the desire to explore more

million population and once a

Shanghai, China. She has been

academic fields. She is into

capital city in his country. He

practicing Taichi, a Chinese martial

language learning and culture

likes Ripon College because

arts, for ten years and really hopes to

learning including English,

everyone is friendly and really

start a club in the near future. And she

Japanese, German and Korean,

helpful. He likes teaching and

can cook great Chinese food!

and plans to learn more

volunteering, and cant wait to

languages in the near future.

do these things in the next

She also loves to sing!

semester!

F ALL 2012 E DITION

P AGE 3

Do you like Fondue??

vegetables, live music, and most of

By: Kyonna Withers

all fondue! This year the festival had the world’s largest fondue set on

Fondue, What’s that? Fondue is a Swiss, French, and Italian word for

display, along with a number of different palate-pleasing fondues,

melted cheese! On September 8, 2012 Ripon international students

prepared and presented by students of the Culinary Arts Program at

enjoyed fun in the sun on Main Street at Fond Du Lac county’s

Moraine Park Technical College.

The Fondue Fest happens annually

Fondue Fest. The 6th annual Fondue Fest is a free family-friendly festival

and more information can be found at www.fonduefest.com. Students

celebrating community in downtown Fond Du Lac. Each

who attended had a wonderful time and cannot wait for next

vendor marketed food, arts, craft, or products for patrons to enjoy.

year.

Pictured above is international student Myat Aung from Myanmar having fun with a rescued pet from the Fond Du Lac animal shelter.

From one end to another the streets were filled with kid friendly activities, fresh flowers, animals,

F ALL B REAK

By Honey Zaw For the fall break of 2012, the Student Activities Office arranged a one-day trip to Chicago for International Students to have fun for the day. Assistant Director of Student Activities, Kyonna Withers, arranged the trip and had a great time with the students.

As soon as the students arrived downtown, the first place they visited was one of Chicago’s greatest tourist attractions, the Cloud Gate, commonly known as “The Bean”.

The Cloud Gate is a public sculpture, a centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza and Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Constructed in 2006, its bean-like shape of the sculpture is why it is nicknamed, The Bean.

The sculpture’s surface reflects and distorts the city’s skyline and the people around it. The students were able to walk around and under The Bean’s high arch and take pictures.

On the underside, there is a concave that warps and multiplies reflections; students were wowed by that and took it as a great phototaking opportunity.

Students later separated into four groups and adventured into discovering the city lifestyle. Some

ANYONE ???

students reunited with their old high school friends in the city; some students with great interest in science and art went to some of Chicago’s famous art and science museums; others used this opportunity to explore the social city life and the enormous malls along State Street.

A first year student from Myanmar, Myat Thinzar Aung was in a group that visited the science museums.

When recalling her experience, she said “I was amazed with the science museum which displays everything about practical field of science. It was something that I have never seen before. There are some displays of historic events like WWII submarine. I felt like I was back in the 1940s. I am not a science person but I was attracted to everything.”

“I haven’t seen heavy rain in the United States before,” said second year Chinese student Taihua Lee. Some students enjoyed the rain in a windy city. “Running in the rain to catch up to the shuttle to go back to campus was my favorite part of the trip,” said Li. All the students enjoyed their exploration of the city and later that evening the group gathered for departure. While many Ripon students are fortunate enough to be

able to go home during the breaks, the Student Activities Office helped to organize an opportunity for International Students to get out and experience some fun since some are not.

Withers explained, “As the international student liaison, I wanted to make sure the students were enjoying their fall break, even though some probably couldn’t go back to their home countries. Seeing another side of the Midwest is important and why not start with the windy city! Next stop Mall of America in Minnesota for spring break.”

M ULTICULTURAL

P AGE 4

NEWSLETTER

I NTERNATIONAL M ONTH !!

S OMETHING

NEW TO RIPON ! N OVEMBER WAS INTERNATIONAL MONTH WHICH HIGHLIGHTED COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD . L UNCH EACH F RIDAY IN THE COMMONS FOR THE MONTH OF N OVEMBER WAS AUTHENTIC FOOD FROM THE COUNTRY OF THE WEEK ! I N S TUDENT A CTIVITIES THERE WERE AUTHENTIC CLOTHES , COUNTRY FLAGS AND MUSIC FROM THE SELECTED COUNTRY EACH WEEK ! C OUNTRY PROFILES WERE PROVIDED BY THE I NTERNATIONAL R ELATIONS C LUB AND C O - SPONSORS FOR THE VARIOUS WEEKS WERE C ULTURAL D IVERSITY C LUB , H ABLAMOS , ยก RR R UMBA !, FOOD SERVICE , I NTRAMURALS , & A MNESTY I NTERNATIONAL ! B ELOW ARE PICTURES FROM THE MONTHS EVENTS .

F ALL 2012 E DITION

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H ISPANIC H ERITAGE

HISTORY MONTH

¡Salsa y Salsa!

By Kyonna Withers

the Caribbean and Central and South America”. The site also states that

Activities and ¡rrRumba! for this

Student Activities and ¡rrRumba!

Latin Dance Club hosted an event on

the “observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under

great event.

September 18, 2012 entitled ¡Salsa y Salsa! This event in Great Hall

President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald

celebrated National Hispanic

Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and

Heritage Month.

According to the Library of Congress, “each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to

ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law

October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions

¡Salsa y Salsa! encompassed salsa lessons, Hispanic foods and Latin

of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico,

music to set the ambiance for the evening. Great job to Student

C ELBRATION

By : Kyonna Withers

Pictured above are ¡rrRumba! leaders teaching salsa lessons and some of our great food from the night.

100-402”.

OF LIGHTS

collaboration of many On December 7, 2012 area individuals, organizations and students had the businesses, making this opportunity to go to a bona fide community the city of Oshkosh to holiday celebration. see the holiday light The students could also spectacle known as Oshkosh Celebration of donate to the Oshkosh lights. The Celebration area community food pantry with a non of Lights is a

perishable food item before entering the park. Pictured below are the main attractions; real life reindeer and the huge lighted Christmas tree that illuminated the park.

U PCOMING

300 W. Seward St. Ripon, WI 54971 The Office of Student Activities and Orientation Phone: 920-748-8112 http://www.ripon.edu/studentlife/ student_activities/misa/misa.html Editor of newlstter: Kyonna Withers Assistant Director of Student Activities E-mail: withersk@ripon.edu

EVENTS

&

HOLIDAYS

MLK Week 2013 January 21-26

Ash Wednesday Feb 13

Martin Luther King Jr Day January 21

Women's History Month in March

Home Away from Home group dinner January 28 5pm

CDC Culture Week March 4-8

Please feel free to submit relevant and appropriate articles, stories, events, and more to Kyonna Withers for publication consideration.

Black History Month in February

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Office of Student Activities and Orientation or the Ripon College community.

Chinese New Year February 10

Spring Break Trip to Mall of America – March 12-14 Easter March 31

M EET THE NEW MULTICULTURAL / INTERNATIONAL LIASON !

By: Karlyn Schumacher If you’re in the Student Activities Office and have a free minute, be sure to stop in and say hello to the new Assistant Director of Student Activities, Kyonna Withers. Having finished her graduate program at Old Dominion University in Virginia in May, Withers says, “I’m excited to be here. Every morning I come here ready for a new day, to learn a whole lot, meet a bunch of new people, and experience something new.”

As the new Assistant Director of SAO, Withers has a lot on her plate. Her duties include overseeing all eight Greek groups on campus, as well as all multicultural and international

affairs initiatives. She plans and implements the Home Away from Home program, advises the Black Student Union, The Network, and the Cultural Diversity Club, to name a few. “It is a lot,” Withers admits, “but it’s all for the students. That’s why I’m here – to help Ripon College students enjoy their college experiences.”

different types of students, Withers also gets to work with just about every department on campus. “The fact that I’m able to be here, working with all types of students and departments, makes me feel like I’m learning so much just from being here. I embrace and need change. If things stay stagnant, I can’t grow as an individual,” says Withers.

Withers will be working closely with international, multicultural, and Greek students on campus, although she says, “I always have an open door policy for students. You don’t have to be a multicultural, international, or a Greek student to come talk to me.”

Most important, though, is the passion Withers has for her role at Ripon College, and how she can use that passion to help others. “I’m so happy to be here,” says Withers, “and I’m ready to grow as an individual.”

In working with so many