2008 Woodie Awards
Fusing together multicultural life
Caitlin Bandfield
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News
Fusion: the very word creates an image of different things blending together to form something new and exciting. Keeping this in mind, it is easy to understand why it is the title of Muhlenberg's upcoming diversity night.
Heavily involved in Muhlenberg's Office of Multicultural Life, senior Damara Gonzalez '08, a student member on the Advisory Board Committee for the Multicultural Center, says that the idea for FUSION, a diversity night here at the College, came about from ideas from conversations about Multicultural Life and events at other LVAIC (Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges) institutions.
Admiring what other schools in the Lehigh Valley had done in terms of addressing issues of diversity, Gonzalez says that the Office of Multicultural Life wanted to bring diversity awareness to our own campus, and to reach out to other LVAIC schools after they had made such an impact.
FUSION will be a school-wide dance that will include intermittent performances from organizations at different LVAIC colleges. "The event aims to showcase who we are as people, a colorful and vibrant people who are proud of our culture and heritage," says Gonzalez. The event will clearly live up to its name by demonstrating the fusing together of different people and cultures to arrive at a universal appreciation of diversity. Notes Gonzalez, "A theme of the event, along with the spirit of the word fusion, is to have performances that highlight not only the different interactions between races, but also what has historically made us the people that we are." In addition to Muhlenberg's own dance group, the Soul Sound Steppers, performances will be put on by whatever other LVAIC schools can attend, including Lafayette, Lehigh, Moravian, and Cedar Crest.
FUSION, which will be a free event, has a tentative date of Friday, April 25th from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. in the Garden Room. The Multicultural Center will be the primary sponsor, with MAC acting as a possible co-sponsor. In addition to these two organizations, there are many other Muhlenberg groups that have been helping to put this diversity night together. These include ASA/ISA (Asian Student Association/International Student Association), BSA (Black Student Association), La Comunidad Latina, and the Soul Sound Steppers.
Heavily involved in Muhlenberg's Office of Multicultural Life, senior Damara Gonzalez '08, a student member on the Advisory Board Committee for the Multicultural Center, says that the idea for FUSION, a diversity night here at the College, came about from ideas from conversations about Multicultural Life and events at other LVAIC (Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges) institutions.
Admiring what other schools in the Lehigh Valley had done in terms of addressing issues of diversity, Gonzalez says that the Office of Multicultural Life wanted to bring diversity awareness to our own campus, and to reach out to other LVAIC schools after they had made such an impact.
FUSION will be a school-wide dance that will include intermittent performances from organizations at different LVAIC colleges. "The event aims to showcase who we are as people, a colorful and vibrant people who are proud of our culture and heritage," says Gonzalez. The event will clearly live up to its name by demonstrating the fusing together of different people and cultures to arrive at a universal appreciation of diversity. Notes Gonzalez, "A theme of the event, along with the spirit of the word fusion, is to have performances that highlight not only the different interactions between races, but also what has historically made us the people that we are." In addition to Muhlenberg's own dance group, the Soul Sound Steppers, performances will be put on by whatever other LVAIC schools can attend, including Lafayette, Lehigh, Moravian, and Cedar Crest.
FUSION, which will be a free event, has a tentative date of Friday, April 25th from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. in the Garden Room. The Multicultural Center will be the primary sponsor, with MAC acting as a possible co-sponsor. In addition to these two organizations, there are many other Muhlenberg groups that have been helping to put this diversity night together. These include ASA/ISA (Asian Student Association/International Student Association), BSA (Black Student Association), La Comunidad Latina, and the Soul Sound Steppers.