Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

U. Rhode Island center holds gathering to celebrate first semester
By Chloe Thompson
The Good Five Cent Cigar (U. Rhode Island)
12/19/2006

(U-WIRE) KINGSTON, R.I. — University of Rhode Island staff, students and faculty mingled and discussed their accomplishments during the past semester at the annual Gathering of Friends at the Multicultural Center Dec. 7, 2006.

The event was a way to thank the university community for helping and supporting the center.

"We believe it's important to find ways to support and sustain the commitment of practice of diversity at URI," Melvin Wade, director of the MCC, said. "I'm just grateful it was a gathering of faculty, staff, students and administration in order to allow us to say thank you to them."

While the friendly discussions at the center's party were taking place, participants enjoyed an assortment of food and beverages, including meatballs, cheese and crackers, mini-quiches and grapes.

The forum was decorated in traditional holiday fashion, with garlands adorning the food-filled tables and mini Christmas trees on either end.

The food was provided by the department, Mailee Kue, assistant director of the center, said.

Kue added that this was about the sixth year that the MCC featured this event.

"It used to be a big program at night," she said. "But at the end of the semester, there's too much work and it was too difficult [to coordinate]."

"It's just regular finger food," Kue said. "Something you can eat while catching up [with your peers]."

The event only lasted a couple of hours, but the food and conversation were enough to keep professors content.

"I think it's just a celebration for people that work with issues in the Multicultural Center, and bringing people together is good for building a sense of community," Stephen C. Wood, communications professor, said.

Psychology Professor Paul Bueno de Mesquita agreed with Wood.

"I think this is a time for our friends — a time for us to appreciate and be grateful for all the good work and effort that is done to diversify the campus," he said.

Along with the food, there was also a slideshow displaying the efforts and events of the MCC during the course of the year.

The slideshow featured the MCC's mission statement with pictures of events such as Diversity Week, the multicultural students' retreat and the URI Unity Weekend.

"Every day we worked on [the slideshow] for a couple of hours," junior Kirsy Melo said.

She, along with three other juniors, completed the slideshow within a couple of weeks, Melo said.

Upcoming events at the MCC include Martin Luther King Jr. week, which Kue said will begin Jan. 29, and an annual lecture on multiculturalism.

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