Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, October 16, 2017
Volume 97 Issue 6
Aggies in every
shade
CU celebrates diversity Stacie Larsen
facts, interactive activities and performances presented by student Managing Editor organizations, academic departments and the Cameron Campus Ministry. From 12-2 p.m., on Oct. 10, in the Polynice said despite the different MCC, Cameron University’s Office of types of food served at the event, each Student Development hosted its annual organization or group shared one common Diversity Celebration, “Aggies in Every Shade,” open to faculty, staff, students and ingredient: chocolate. “The chocolate was not just American members of the community. chocolate,” she said. “It was representative Student Success Coordinator for of the culture that they were from.” Student Development and faculty adviser Polynice also said, last year, each for Cameron Diversity Diplomats Olivia Polynice said the purpose for the event was organization or group added an educational component to their cultural presentations, to celebrate different cultures on campus. which carried into this year’s festivities as “I think it’s one of the hallmarks of the University, itself,” she said. “We are diverse. well. “The goal is not to eat just good food We actually love to empower our students who are from different cultures, regardless but to understand what that means in that culture and why it’s important,” Polynice of whether you’re from here or another said. country.” The celebration extended beyond just Polynice said Diversity Celebration geographical diversity. attendees came in every shade. “We didn’t just have people from “It’s not just our [Cameron] students different countries, but we also had social who are diverse, or who come from and religious groups to talk about their different cultures,” she said. “It’s also our organization and what they stand for and staff and our faculty, and that as a whole, why this is important to them,” Polynice our University is just this really cool said. melting pot.” This year, Polynice said each The event featured food, educational organization or group offered attendees
the opportunity to participate in activities focused on their cultural beliefs, including yodeling lessons and Salsa dancing. In addition, Diversity Diplomat member Sammer Shahid devoted her time and talent toward giving attendees henna tattoos of their choosing. The event also featured a variety of native dances performed by two Samoan students, Helena Taisau and VictoriaLemoe Esera, and a piano performance by Cameron Campus Ministry member Peter Macias. Polynice said, by hosting the event, she hopes to leave a lasting impression on those who attend. “I hope that students not only come just to have good food,” she said, “but also take something away from it and are able to impact the next person that they meet based on what they learn.” When planning the event, Polynice said the faculty within the Office of Student Development collaborated with members of Cameron’s Diversity Diplomats organization. Senior English major and Diversity Diplomat Public Relations Officer Becky Harris helped organize the event by communicating with participating organizations.
Harris said being involved with both the organization and event has helped her embrace diversity within her own cultural background. “I’m half-black and half-Korean,” she said. “One thing that growing up that was a really big struggle for me was that diversity inside of me. “Being able to be in a setting like the Diversity Celebration meant a lot to me because I got to see other students be very proud and have an environment where they could be proud to be who they are.” Harris said she thinks the celebration is important because it empowers students to be open about their diversity despite judgements or pressures from the outside world. “I always like to look at Cameron as a school that is diverse because we have international students,” she said. “We have students from different backgrounds, but sadly … I still see a lot of people who don’t accept different cultures or … they don’t want to learn about them. “One thing I hope people learn is that students like us aren’t going to stop celebrating our diversity despite other students not wanting to accept it.” For more information about Diversity Diplomats, contact Oliva Polynice at opolynic@cameron.edu. Photos by Stacie Larsen
What’s inside Students sample “Fall Flavors” Page 3
Whang’s first piano recital of the semester
Volleyball goes 3-1 against ASU
Page 5
Page 6