Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Syracuse plans events for International Education Week
By Carrie Schmelkin
Daily Orange (Syracuse)
11/10/2006

(U-WIRE) SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University students, faculty and community members will come together Monday, Nov. 13 for a week-long sequence of events in an effort to promote International Education Week.

IEW, a collaborative idea of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, aims to increase global understanding and highlight the accomplishments of international students. SU will be participating in IEW for its fifth consecutive year.

"The goal of IEW is to acknowledge and appreciate the value of the global richness of our campus and our community," said Patricia Burak, director of the international services center. "It is a wonderful opportunity to show our commitment to scholarship and action."

IEW runs from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19 and will feature many events, including panel discussions, prominent speakers, film screenings and international dance and music festivals.

All events, except for the International Thanksgiving Dinner, are free and open to the public. Events are sponsored by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the Lillian and Emanuel Slutzker Center for International Services, University College and the English Language Institute and SU Abroad.

"The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education ask schools around the country to launch a set of activities to celebrate international education," Burak said. "Syracuse has participated every year since it started, and we launch as many academic, social and cultural programs as we can organize."

SU is a school where programs addressing global issues occur often, but IEW attempts to highlight one specific week, said Geraldine de Berly, associate dean for Academic Affairs at University College and director of the English Language Institute University College.

"We have out of 18,000 students, 1,800 foreign students on campus," she said. "We are a major comprehensive institution and we deal with global international issues all the time."

IEW affords SU international students who have a commitment to their cultural heritage and background to demonstrate their customs and involve and teach others, Burak said.

SU international students will participate in activities such as a Peruvian performance, a Japanese food festival and musical and theatrical presentations.

In addition to the entertainment component, there will be a series of informative panel discussions with prominent speakers, said Elane Granger, associate director of SU Abroad.

"SU Abroad is sponsoring three hours of panel discussions, and the first will revolve around difference and the kind of artificial mock ups we have of different nations and races," she said.

Speakers will include Beatriz Merino, the former Prime Minister of Peru, Khaled Abou El Fadl, world-renowned expert in Islamic Law and Dan Kwong, a performance artist and storyteller.

Nov. 19 will feature the International Thanksgiving Dinner held in Goldstein Auditorium.

"It is one of the anchor events of the week," said Thomas Wolfe, dean of Hendricks Chapel. "It has an education component in that it brings our international students to learn of the American traditions of Thanksgiving."

The dinner is invitational only, being primarily sent to first-year international students who will not be able to travel home for Thanksgiving, de Berly said.

There will be about 40 to 50 tables, each with a faculty host who will teach about the American Thanksgiving customs.

During the dinner there will be a Hindu group dance performance and the traditional carving of the turkey, Wolfe said.

"I hope everyone comes out to the events and everyone looks at it as an opportunity to embrace the university community," Granger said. "It is important to celebrate because we are all international."

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