Student cultural clubs to host inaugural Night of Languages
Illustration by Devyn Passaretti
Night of Languages is being put on by S.C.O.P.E., otherwise known as the South Campus Organization for Programming Excellence.
This Friday, student cultural clubs from around campus are coming together to celebrate diversity during the inaugural Night of Languages.
The event will be put on by S.C.O.P.E., the South Campus Organization for Programming Excellence, in order to enhance the living experience on South Campus, S.C.O.P.E. president Lynn Clervois said.
We realized, what better way to educate the residence of South Campus than to have a night where we can all come together and learn different languages.Lynn Clervois
S.C.O.P.E.’s e-board came up with the idea for the event at its budget meeting last semester, Clervois said. They wanted to have an event that had a “focus on diversity and diversity education.”
The event will entail different groups setting up tables that represent and capture their country’s culture. Each table will share and teach their language to each other. There will also be performances by two dance troupes, Zinda Fusion Dance team and Kalabash Dance Troupe. Lastly, a spread of food from different countries, or “delicious bites,” will be set up, Clervois explained.
“We cannot forget the food,” she said. “And an awesome DJ rocking the house.”
Night of Languages will be held in SkyBarn, a small concert venue located on South Campus. Associate Director of Student Centers and Programming Services Scott Casanova said SkyBarn is reserved mostly for dance parties, receptions and talent shows, as it is one of the few event venues on South Campus.
Casanova explained that SkyBarn was a natural choice for the event because a lot of S.C.O.P.E.’s meetings occur there.
Clervois said she was excited to see the event “coming together in such a large scale” and hopes it will continue and grow for years to come.
This event is so important because often times we forget how different we all are culturally, and we forget to celebrate it. It is exciting to learn new things, and even more exciting to learn a different language.Lynn Clervois
Many student groups have said they are just as excited to attend the event as S.C.O.P.E. was in planning it.
Bingzhu Luo, president of Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said the event is a great way for people of different cultures to come together and get to know one another.
We believe that this event will not only introduce Chinese culture to more students, but also helps more Chinese students to know other cultures and prompt the true diversity in our campus.Bingzhu Luo
His organization is planning on preparing a map of China and introducing different dialects and famous Chinese food. In addition, it will display Chinese calligraphy and classical dancing, among other activities.
Although the event is targeted to campus cultural organizations, students are still encouraged to attend.
“I am in Russian 202, and would absolutely attend this event,” Jake Manelis, a sophomore accounting major, said. “I love learning languages, and thinking hanging out with people of different cultures in a casual atmosphere would be fun.”
Clervois said she hopes the language theme of the event will spark an interest in attendees to research other cultures’ customs and traditions.
She also said S.C.O.P.E.’s close relations with the Office of Residence Life and with community representatives may help attract more people to the event and allow more people to speak about their opinion of South Campus.
Said Clervois: “All in all, it is a night where we can come together and enjoy the company of each other and grow the horizons of our minds.”
Published on March 2, 2016 at 10:38 pm
Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu
