Ball State University students and the Muncie community will have an opportunity to see foreign dance, take short language lessons, sample food and interact with students from more than 80 countries today.
The annual International Festival will give visitors a chance to learn about the countries that are represented by the more than 500 international students at Ball State.
The annual festival and culture show will take place today in the Student Center. L.A. Pittenger Cardinal Hall and Ballroom. This year, the talent and culture show will feature German hip-hop, Indian dance and a fashion show.
The countries represented in the festival change from year to year based on what countries students at Ball State are from, Debra Goens, foreign student adviser and immigration specialist, said. The activities also change each year since the event relies heavily on student input and participation.
"Through this, we are hoping to bring a taste of other cultures right here to students at Ball State," she said. "This is an incredible opportunity for students to meet people from around the world and see how much they have in common with each other."
Community interest in the event is high and a majority of the more than 2,000 people who attended last year's festival were not Ball State students, Goens said. The event is open to everyone and in August invitations were sent to Delaware County schools. Last year at 9 a.m., more than 500 elementary school students were already lined up and waiting to come into the festival.
Indiana Wesleyan University usually brings a group down to the festival as well, but the event planners are hoping for more interest from Ball State students, Goens said.
Ball State's Rinker Center for International Programs is responsible for the festival, although other groups are involved. This year, the Asian American Student Association will sponsor a booth at the event that includes information about Asia and interactive activities.
The event is an academic experience for students. Associate Professor of Communications Laura O'Hara's Intercultural Communication Class will participate in the event for a class assignment.
The class will be in charge of a diversity workshop for high school students attending the International Festival, O'Hara said. This is the first year that her class has participated in this kind of activity.
"All the assignments in the class have the goal to help students become more competent in intercultural communication," O'Hara said. "This particular activity is exciting because the students learn through teaching others."
O'Hara said she believed between 60 and 80 high school students attended last year's event.
The Rinker Center for International Programs has sponsored the International Festival for more than 50 years.
The most challenging part of the festival is the planning, which starts early in the summer. Goens said. The event does not have a set budget and comes out of the Rinker Center's general budget, she said, This limits the advertising and promotions that can be done, Goens said. Event planners use free radio spots and campus flyers to increase awareness about the festival.
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