ISA Presents “The World at Your Fingertips”

Lafayette’s International Students Association (ISA) will hold its annual Extravaganza to promote a dialogue of global issues on campus, April 17-April 22.

This year’s theme “The World at Your Fingertips,” highlights a region of the world each day with a cultural exhibit in the Farinon Student Center Atrium, brown bag discussions, and various evening activities.

“The annual Extravaganza serves as a vanguard in bringing students’ focus onto matters such as religious understanding and tolerance, cultural acceptance, and racial stereotyping. [It] provides the confidence that is required to further discuss and debate on these topics throughout the academic year,” says biology major Mevan Jayasinghe ’08 (Colombo, Sri Lanka), who is vice president of ISA and head of the Extravaganza steering committee.

To conclude the celebration is an international food tasting, followed by the Grand Finale Saturday. Dishes prepared by students and faculty are provided free of charge.

The Grand Finale features student performances of dance, music, and narration from around the world. An international fashion show provides an opportunity for the audience to acquire a sense of the past and present clothing trends in different regions of the world. The cultural talent show has earned its popularity and reputation for consistent quality performances and is very popular on campus.

For the first time in its long tradition, the ISA welcomes guest performances by Lehigh University’s International Student Organization featuring the talents of its members through ethnic dances, plays, songs, and fashion shows. All events are free.

The schedule is:

Monday:

• 11:30 a.m.: East Asia regional exhibit, Farinon Atrium
• 12:15 p.m.: “The Asian and Asian-American Experience,” Lafayette students representing various Asian cultures within the U.S. and continent of Asia will talk about their experiences in America and abroad in Farinon Marlo Room (West)
• 7 p.m.: Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month Keynote Address by Evelina Galang, “Exploring Asian & Asian-American Identity through Story: Critiques of Asian-American Images,”Oechscle Hall 224

Tuesday

• 11:30 a.m.: South Asia and Middle East regional exhibits, Farinon Atrium
• 12:15 p.m.: “Patriotism and South Asian Movies,” a brown bag discussion, Limburg Theater
• 6 p.m.: International cooking show, Black Cultural Center

Wednesday

• 11:30 a.m.: Africa regional exhibit, Farinon Atrium
• 12:15 p.m.: “Rhythm and Music in Africa,” brown bag discussion, Hogg Hall Interfaith Chapel
• 7 p.m.: African drumming circle, Farinon Atrium

Thursday

• 11:30 a.m.: North, Central, and South Americas regional exhibits, Farinon Atrium
• 12:15 a.m.: “Mangos are sweeter in the U.S.: Latin America and Immigration,” brown bag discussion, Hogg Hall Interfaith Chapel
• 9 p.m.: Story time café, March field (Rain site: Black Cultural Center)

Friday

• 11:30 a.m.: Europe regional exhibit, Farinon Atrium
• 12:15 p.m.: “Arts and Society in Europe,” brown bag discussion, Limburg Theater Farinon
• 5 p.m.: B.B.Q., Quad

Saturday

• 5:30 p.m. International food tasting, Marquis Hall
• 7 p.m. “World at Your Finger Tips” Grand Finale, Marquis Hall

Galang is an award-winning writer, whose short stories, novels, non-fiction, and screenplays focus on the experiences of Filipino Americans, especially women and youth. She is the author of Her Wild American Self (Coffee House Press, 1996) a collection of short fiction of which the title story has been short-listed by both Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize. Her writing has been widely published in numerous journals and magazines, including MS Magazine, American Short Fiction, Quarterly West, and Calyx.She is also the editor of Screaming Monkeys: Critiques Of Asian American Images (Coffee House Press, 2003), which won ForeWord Magazine’s Gold Book of the Year Award for 2003.

Galang was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in the Philippines where she continued her work on surviving comfort women in the military brothels of Japanese-occupied countries during World War II for her forthcoming collection of essays, Lolas’ House: Women Living with War. She is also working on a screenplay entitled Dalaga.

ISA boasts a membership of 200 students from over 60 countries around the world and is constantly recognized by Lafayette alumni, faculty, and students for its outstanding leadership in the promotion of equality and diversity and its contributions toward spreading cultural awareness among the Lafayette community.