Hello Everyone!
About me
I am privileged to serve and lead the International Student Organization this year and we are preparing our first event which is the biggest event we perform in the fall. I belong to the country of India and am currently a 2nd year law student at University of Mississippi School of Law.
Event Info
This year the event is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on November 13th, Fulton Chapel on UM campus. The venue can seat around 600 people and we are expecting a turnout of at least 500. Dr. Wallace, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, is the Chief Guest for the event. Tickets ($4) are available in Central Ticket Office and on spot. The cultural program is followed by an International Cuisine Social hosted in collaboration with Graduate Student Council and India Association.
Spreading the Word
We are also trying to get other colleges in and around Mississippi to become a part of this show. Rust College intends to have an item and is excited to come to the show following a tradition which began in 2003 with Kumar Gaurav’s and Kingsley’s joint efforts and friendship who were the respective ISO Presidents of their schools that year. We are also having “Miss India-Mississippi 2005” Khyati Gupta perform a dance number and she attends Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. We have also extended the invitation to the international students at MS State and we are expecting them as well!
Why you should be there!
So how is Olemiss' International Night different from other International Nights? Oxford has one of the highest concentrations of International students in the state of MS, therefore, the International Night at Olemiss is one of the biggest forums in our state where cultures perform and display themselves amidst the Southern American culture. It is a platform for the International students, who have come far from their homes to receive education and learn from the American culture, to celebrate their diversity and history in a nation of hodge-podge cultural identities. There is a willingness to imbibe American culture among us, especially Southern traditions which resonate with most cultures’ traditions like the stress on family and religion. At the same time, we want to keep our culture alive to feel connected. In fact, we end up learning our own cultures better when we have to represent them to “others.” This event is an amalgamation of different cultures’ and nations’ aesthetics – in music, dance, art and food, and also the enthusiasm of international students to enrich the culture of Olemiss by proving that it not all about football.
We also have a raffle where our MC’s announce winners after very few performances. Part of the money from the tickets is going to contribute for an International Student from India’s bone marrow transplant. One of our main attractions is “Miss India-Mississippi” 2005 Khyati Gupta’s dance that she performed at Miss India-USA pageant and won a place in Top Five.
Preparations
We have extensively planned for this event. There has been weekly Interest meetings, rehearsals are going on, sponsorships from community of Oxford and the various organs of Olemiss (Student Affairs, International Programs Office, Multi-Cultural Affairs) have poured in monetary contributions to make it a success. There is a Fashion show which will display music and dresses from various cultures and an exclusive dance drama prepared by African and Caribbean Association for this event. Taiwanese student association, India Association and Chinese Student Association are performing as well!
Acknowledgements
Lastly, I would like to thank the Vice-President Ram Sankar for being a constant help, Arvinder, our creative webmaster, for designing the beautiful poster, Ashutosh & Sarvesh for being dependable, and Kumar for all the guidance. The International Programs Office has been a blessing for us as well.
We would LOVE more help from International and American students! Get excited! The event is a week away! Please contact me or any of the officers.