the Informer

The university enticed students and guests with culture, food and fun at its annual International Festival on Saturday, March 6. For 25 years, the International Center has been hosting the annual International Festival, which brings the outside community on campus to celebrate ethnic diversity and the different cultures that are represented on campus. Many college campuses hold events to highlight the diversity of their student body, but no college does it like Hartford. Richard Lazzerini, the Associate Director of the International Center has been in charge of the event since it was established in 1985. “We started it to showcase the cultures that are represented and highlight the diversity on campus. At the time we had an average of 340 international students,” he said. When the university started holding the event it focused around student performances, but now Lazzerini said the school took it to a new level. The International Center now brings in performers from outside of the campus along with student performances. With the addition of International Week Lazzerini said, “Our Festival is more successful than what is done at other schools.” Guests on hand at the event were treated to ethnic cuisine from 12 different countries. People lined up along the cafeteria wall for the buffet styled meal that was served by members of the Sigma Nu fraternity. Emmanuel Aguero, a senior accounting and economics student, enjoyed the chance to try different ethnic foods. “I think the best part is that you have the ability to try different kinds of food, and that they all represent different cultures,” he said. Lazzerini said the event has always been held as a showcase for international students to share a part of their countries and culture to the campus and community. The Asian Student Association provided Bubble Tea, a popular tea made in Taiwan. Pauline Chin, a junior Web design major, said, “It is a tea made with milk and tapioca pearls that is popular with kids.” The Indian Student Association provided Henna tattoos as piece of their culture. Girls in India use henna tattoos to see if they will have a happy marriage; if the dye turns red it is said that they will have a good marriage. Tejeswi Dodda a graduate student in the communication department said the Indian Student Association is a “home away from home” for Indian students. One thing that the Association does is to celebrate Indian holidays, and they just celebrated Diwali, which is a “Festival of Lights that celebrates the victory of good over evil,” she said. One highlight of the festival was the entertainment that included Mexican music from Fiesta del Norte, a traditional Mariachi band from Connecticut. They performed the “Mexican Hat Dance” with a dance performance by two students from Yale University. The Nataraj Dance Company, an Indian dance company performed classical dances that in their culture are meant to worship the god Shiva. Another highlight of the evening was, “The Taste of Bollywood Hip Hop,” performed by Hartford students Nikhil Mothukuri and Malissa D’Souza. Their performance captivated the audience’s attention with a dramatic and energetic mix of hip-hop and Bollywood dance. Mothukuri, a graduate electrical engineering student, said the energy of the dance depends on the coordination of the partner and the amount of practice. He said they had practiced only for 10 days but he has been practicing Bollywood hip-hop for a year and a half. Mothukuri said the dance is a conceptual dance that is like “making love and like cheating too.” The Festival provided an opportunity for the outside community to access the university and give the international students a venue to showcase their culture. Lazzerini said this was the best event we have had and served about 500 people. He credits the help of the student volunteers and the Sigma Nu fraternity for making the event run smoothly. “I can’t do it with out their help. They helped with setting up, clean up, lights, sound and they served the food,” he said. The International Festival continues to symbolize the university’s commitment to providing students with a global view of the world. “This is part of where education is going…thinking globally,” Lazzerini said. For more information about the International Center and its programs and events, go to uhaweb.hartford.edu/intercenter.