On Tuesday night the D.P. Culp University Center was filled with music and celebration that reached beyond the walls of the Ballroom. Beginning at about 7 p.m., the Multicultural Expo kicked off the night by allowing attendants to roam freely and check out information booths representing various campus clubs and organizations.

The Multicultural Expo is set up to be a fun way to expose different cultures to new students, faculty, staff, departments and organizations.

The night featured many guest speakers from the Student Organization Resource Center and club members. The event featured many diverse musical selections from ETSU’s Bluegrass Band, Appalachian Express Barbershop Quartet, Gospel Choir, Latin dancing, line-dancing, Silent Bucs and more. The night also offered calligraphy, origami and henna painting for students to enjoy.

At the Expo, the new motto for the program was released – “P.E.A.C.E.,” which stands for participate, educate, appreciate, celebrate and educate. The purpose of the program is to respect each other as individuals, and it emphasizes the importance that the campus as a whole appreciates and values diversity.

The Expo also promoted the program’s new campaign, “Think. Live. Respect.” The multicultural program will begin putting more emphasis on dialogues, the first beginning with the Tim Wise, an anti-racist author and activist who will be on campus for three days next week.

The program will also have many events lined up for National Heritage Month as well as Black History Awareness Month.

Students at the program were advised to get engaged in the process of university education and to pick from the wide variety of 200 student organizations that are offered.

Students were also advised to look into study abroad programs and were told it is never too early or too late to study abroad. Summer programs for 2010 are to include countries such as Brazil, Czech Republic, Ireland, Greece, India, South Africa and Jamaica.

Christy Miller, coordinator of the International Learning Community, spoke of events that are held every other Friday. This Friday in the East Tennessee Room on the third floor of the D.P. Culp University Center, there will be a free dinner starting at 6 p.m. which will be followed by presentations on different countries such as China and Peru. All students are invited to attend.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about organizations that were featured at the Expo, please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (423) 439-6633.

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