International Week will begin this Sunday. There will be a variety of events available to participate in, both for international as well as domestic students.
This year’s International Week comes with a promise.
“I think the motto (A promise with no boundaries) is a promise of being together, a promise of unity, a promise to care for each other,” Mohammad Hashim Pashtun, a graduate student and the president of International Student Union, said.
International Week became an annual week-long celebration in 1979 with a motive to memorialize the diverse demographic present at Ohio University. From film screenings to a craft night to a dance night, nearly 20 events have been set up throughout the week.
As the primary host, International Student Union is aiming to make it more inclusive. It is not only a celebration of international students, but also of their interactions with the American students.
“It is ‘International Week.’ But we don’t want it to be solely about the international community. We don’t want to live in a bubble,” Miguel Gomez, vice president of International Student Union, said. “We want to collaborate with other local organizations (and) domestic students and allow them to experience the diversity here on campus.”
The week will kick off with a fan favorite, the Soccer World Cup. There are 10 pre-assigned teams who will play against each other in the Walter Fieldhouse. Each team will represent a particular country, but Gomez said players aren’t confined to their ethnicities. Everyone is open to joining whichever team they would like to represent.
The tournament will be followed by culturally and socially enlightening events such as the International Talent and Fashion Show, which will showcase the different fabrics and attires worn around the world. A meet and greet will be held afterward.
“We are going to have a bigger range of students,” Alena Klimas, a senior and the coordinator of the talent and fashion show, said. “It won’t be limited to international students, as some domestic students will be participating as well.”
Also on Monday is the Exploring Global Masculinities: What Does Real Manhood Look Like conversation. Keely Davin, assistant director at the Office of Global Opportunities, said the event will be a discussion on the portrayals of healthy masculinity around the world.
“People aren’t necessarily thinking about (masculinity),” Davin said. “Last year, when we hosted the event, the students shared their experiences growing up in different cultures. Coming from being immersed in that (native) culture and then comparing it to the culture here, it opened up a dialogue which was interesting.”
Throughout the week, Bobcats will have several opportunities to satisfy their inner foodie. One of those events is Global Scoop, in which ice cream flavors inspired from countries around the world will be served in the Bobcat Lounge. Flavors include green tea, mango and pistachio.
Alex Sheen, an alumnus and founder of the nonprofit because I said I would, will be delivering the keynote speech for the IWEEK at Baker Center Theatre on Wednesday. Gomez said he is immensely excited about the speech.
“He is so inspirational,” Gomez said. “The reason we chose him is because the theme of the week is ‘A promise with no boundaries’ and that co-exists with his message of ‘Because I said I would.’”
The eighth Holocaust remembrance program at OU is also being included in the week of events. Hosted by the Black Student Cultural Programming Board and Hillel at Ohio University, “Hidden In Holland: John Koenigsberg” will feature the Holocaust survivor discussing the surprising light of humanity in the face of the grotesque adversity that was the Holocaust.
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International Week will officially end with flags of different countries flying proudly from the top tiers of the brick buildings on Court Street. The International Street Fair, which was an addition to International Week in 1983, is also something everyone looks forward to, Pashtun said.
“Celebrating the diversity in the heart of Athens is definitely the highlight of the entire week,” he said. “It offers a diverse experience no matter where you are from.”
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