By Maddy Hamlin & Bianca Zaharescu

Gargoyle senior editors


Posted Thursday, May 17, 2007, The OG, news

THROUGHOUT THE PAST year, questions of race and diversity have been subjects of heated debate within the Uni community.

However, on Friday, Uni will host a culture fair, “Coming Together: Different
Races, Different Ethnicities, Different Cultures,” an event which promises to showcase the school's diverse population in a positive light.

The fair, which has been advertised in a flurry of e-mails, is being sponsored by Uni's minority student advocates, Uni Students for Ethnic Awareness, and the Student Services Office.

The administration is strongly supporting this event. On the day of the fair, class schedules will be altered to allow for an extended lunch period and an assembly to wrap up the day's activities. (See info box for Friday's schedule.)

At lunch, students will be encouraged to walk to Uni Gym, where a series of booths will highlight the variety of cultures represented at the school.

Many groups will provide free food for students, who can partake of it as they please or bring their own lunch. In addition, a tabla player and a zither player will be performing on the lawn.

The fair will be followed by an assembly in Room 228 at the Natural History Building. At this point, Uni students will be able to sit comfortably while listening to Kent Ono, professor of Asian American studies, who has agreed to speak. Ono's lecture will be followed by a panel-led question-and-answer session.

According to guidance counselor Sam Smith, the panel will consist of one student, one faculty member, one parent, and Ono.

Ono will address issues of race, ethnicity, and the significance of culture, although the specifics are still to be determined.

Student Council is providing funding for the culture fair, although outside sources, such as the University of Illinois Native American House and La Casa are also contributing money.

So just how did this idea surface?

“It [the culture fair] emerged as a culminating activity for the year for the minority student advocates,” Patton said.

Her initial excitement about the fair was due in part to her positive experience of participating in the Irish booth at her own high school's “International Days.”

Senior Liz Reese, the founding member of the minority student advocacy program, knows just how to tempt Uni students.

“We will have food donated and bought in large quantities of most likely Native, African-American, Mexican, and Asian-American food,” she remarked, noting that Dos Reales and La Bamba are both contributing food. “Then there will be food from anyone else who is willing to bring food for their booths.”

At the moment, volunteers are expected to host at least 25 booths, which range from representing Algonquin to Jewish culture. Students, parents, and faculty alike can staff a booth or bring a dish to share.

Uni's multicultural parent advisory group is also helping to organize and host the fair. Smith created this parent group only several months ago. The group is open to any parent who is willing to join and volunteer their time.

“We have been wanting to organize an event for the whole school to celebrate diversity and get people talking about racial/cultural/ethnic issues in a positive way,” Reese said in an e-mail interview with the Gargoyle. “This is the result of that initiative.”

Friday's event will not be Uni's first culture fair. Uni's Multi Ethnic Club — UMEC for short — held five fairs in the 1990s, according to English teacher Adele Suslick.

Featuring pot-luck international dinners, displays, and live performances, these events took place at a number of different locations: the Urbana Civic Center, the Wesley Foundation, and the McKinley Foundation.

In 1999, the United Way honored UMEC for its efforts with the Youth Group Volunteer Excellence Award.

RELATED

— Uni High link: Student Services Office