WSU Celebrates International Education Week Oct. 16-23

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Associated Students of Washington State University will help bring cultural awareness to Pullman and the campus community Oct. 16-23 with International Education Week.

A variety of academic events and entertainment are scheduled for the weeklong celebration.

On Saturday (Oct. 16), the Japan clubs of WSU and the UI will present the Japanese festival “Matsuri” at the UI Student Union Building Ballroom. Admission is $8 for students with ID, $10 for non-students and $5 for children.

Also Saturday, the Cordova Theater will host an all-day film festival from 1-9 p.m. with the movies “Amelie” and “Bend it Like Beckham.” Both films are free to attend and appropriate for all ages.

The city of Pullman will host “International Party in the Park” from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 17) in Reaney Park. The event will feature cultural displays, crafts and food. The Seattle steel drum group Bakra Bata is scheduled to perform at 1 p.m.

The week officially gets underway Monday, Oct. 18, with the “Kick-Off Celebration” in the Compton Union Building auditorium from noon to 2 p.m. with an encore performance by Bakra Bata.

The Education Abroad and Culture Exchange Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the Todd Hall atrium. Students who have studied abroad will share their experiences and answer questions for those interested in studying in a foreign country.

The Cultural Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 in the CUB Cascade Room, 123-127. Cultural displays and student-run booths on various cultures and countries will be featured. The Irish folk band Potatoehead will perform at 12:15 p.m. in the CUB 123.

On Thursday, Oct. 21 there will be an open house at the International Student Center from 10 a.m. to noon and an international coffee hour from 3-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, both events in the CUB, Room B-25.

An international film series will run Monday through Friday (Oct. 18-22) from 7-9 p.m. in the Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education, Room 209. Films to be played include “Cosas que deje en La Habana,” “Soliaris,” “Camilia” and more. The films are free to attend and appropriate for all ages.

An international lecture series also will run Sunday through Friday (Oct. 17-22) from 7-9 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Room 13. Lecture topics include a Sunday discussion on comparative religions; Monday, international terrorism and how it affects state and national politics; Tuesday, “The McWorld Phenomenon: Globalization and Its Effect on Culture”; Wednesday, a forum discussion on the problem of place in America, which looks at informal social gathering places and the “pub culture” of Europe; Thursday, “International Trade and Global Outsourcing: How Does it Affect You?” and Friday, a study-abroad panel discussion with foreign and domestic students who have returned from study abroad.

For more information on WSU International Education Week, contact Ismael Cifuentes, president of the international student council, at (509) 432-9044 or at isciso79@hotmail.com.