ABOUT THE MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER . . .

The concept of the Multicultural Newsletter is to provide an avenue for information, updates, opinions, news, and events that will expand the cultural horizons of all Ripon College students. Each issue will include upcoming cultural student

organization events, articles and opinion pieces by Ripon College students, and see the great things the Student Activities Office is doing. The ultimate hope of this newsletter is that the reader will find him/herself more aware of the cultural

atmosphere and events present not only on the Ripon College campus, but around the United States and the world.

FALL 2013 EDITION

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

BEHIND THE SCENES 1

NEW STUDENT PROFILES 2

MILWAUKEE FOLK FAIR 3

FALL BREAK TRIP

INTERNATIONAL MONTH

BSU, CDC, RRRUMBA ,

QSA

UPCOMING EVENTS

3

4

5

6

MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

as there is a ton to go over, but the mood is always high. These meetings are my favorite part of my job, by far. They can be quite stressful with so much going on, but Kyonna and I really build off one another and this is where I feel that I am at my best. These meetings do tend to feature about 17 or so forgotten thoughts by each of us, but we do end up getting there eventually! In addition to this weekly one-on-ones, are the month-long planning committee meetings which occur bi-weekly generally. All of these are outside of the events themselves which are on the Calendar of Events.

It may be a (sometimes) lengthy time commitment, but I wouldn’t trade it for another job. Hope to see you on a committee or at an event next semester!

By Michael Crider

Wow! So yet another semester has passed us by here in the SAO Office and I think it is shaping up to be one of our best yet. As the Multicultural & International Student Assistant for SAO, I have had the pleasure of working with the wonderful Kyonna Withers and have enjoyed the past year and a half immensely. The biggest area that I have attempted to make inroads with in this position has been to incorporate more student organizations and have students take a more active role with the various programs that SAO puts on. Although both Kyonna and I love our jobs and couldn’t be more invested in their success, it only

makes events more successful if more students (or faculty and staff, for that matter) are invested as well. Kyonna and I have been more than happy to see some student orgs take on this responsibility with Black Student Union, Cultural Diversity Club and Queer-Straight Alliance among the leaders in this area.

Most people do not know what Kyonna and I do on a weekly basis, so I thought it might be a good idea to give a sort of “behind the scenes” look. Kyonna and I meet weekly for an hour, sometimes longer, to go over everything that needs to be done not only in the next week, but go over the next two months or so. These meetings are generally very compressed

BEHIND THE SCENES

Soe Lu Tun comes

from a city called

Rangoon (Yangon) from

Myanmar, which is in

Southeast Asia. He is a

freshman and thinking of

majoring in biology or

chemistry-biology as his

dream is to become a

biotechnologist. If

sleeping can considered

one of the hobbies, he

would say his hobby is

sleeping since that is

what he mostly does on

free time. “I love to sleep

because only when I

have enough sleep, I can

study and concentrate

well."

Mra Thitsa comes

from Myanmar. She is

very excited to be here

at Ripon. She recently

performed her talent of

the Burmese candle

light dance at the

International Month

fashion show and was a

hit. Mra looks to get

more involved at Ripon

each day.

Meet Jordan

Grunawalt. Jordan is a

first year from the

island of Guam and has

an interest in studying

anthropology, English,

and biology. She's a bit

of a nerd and a geek and

will talk your arm off

about the Doctor,

Sherlock, and the Impala

if you let her.

Zin Htet is from

Myanmar. He likes

basketball and so far

has enjoyed all Ripon

has to offer!

Nay Htet is from

Myanmar. He is

thinking to major in

computer science, but

haven't declared it yet.

There are many things he

wants to do. His hobbies

are music and basketball

and are his passions.

Sein Soe is one of

the international

students from Myanmar

(Burma). His full name

is Sein Min Soe. His

hobbies are playing basketball

and video games. He is

interested in not only

mathematics and computer

science but also physics.

Tu Nguyen is a first year

student this year. He is

thinking of majoring in

environmental studies and

minoring in business. His

hometown is Hanoi, Vietnam

and his hobbies are playing

soccer, reading, and playing

games

Ngan Tran is a first year

who comes from Pleiku,

Vietnam. She wants to double

major in French and Global

Studies. She loves to travel

and experience new things. A

fun fact is that she took two gap

years before coming to Ripon.

Myo Thiha Zaw is a first

year majoring in physics and

mathematics from Kaw

Thoung (a small city like

Ripon), Myanmar. He loves to

play soccer and loves to go to

art exhibitions. He also goes

by Ivan and is enjoying his first

year.

MEET THE NEW R IPON COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ! !

PAGE 2 MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

This fall Ripon was fortunate to welcome nine new students from many countries of the world. Here are a few fun facts about them!

Milwaukee International Folk Fair

By: Kyonna Withers

On November 23, 2013 two van-fulls of students went to the Milwaukee International Folk Fair at the WI fairgrounds. This is an annual activity that promotes internationalism and diversity all under one roof. There were over 40 food booths to choose from that will

satisfy any palate. There were four different dance stages where acts from various cultures could perform traditional dances to traditional music. Lastly, each country showcased their cultures through art, artifacts, pictures, jewelry, clothing, and toys for purchase from patrons.

Our students and host parent David Sakrison really enjoyed their day at the festival.

FALL BREAK ANYONE???

Although it was freezing and there were times when I could barely scream on the rides because the wind was so strong, our night at Six Flags was perfect. Its Halloween theme was softened at times with the stroke of tenderness in a Merry-Go-Round and other entertainments. So if you are not the adventurous type, there are many other fun options at Six Flags. Four hours’ mixture of screaming and adrenalin rush made our time at the park a night to remember. After a late night meal at Burger King, many of us gathered to play UNO. It was a great bonding time and we went to bed satisfied and excited for the next day at Gurnee Mills Shopping Mall.

The Mall was also beyond expectation. Though not as big as Mall of America, it offers quality designer products at acceptable prices. Everyone in our group came back with something they were looking for. Shopping was much more relaxing compared to the last night’s craziness and marked this trip a complete success. We enjoyed ourselves very much and we are grateful that Ripon College offers these fun trips. Hope to have more in the future! :)

By Chuchen Tan

On Thursday October 24th, Kyonna Withers took many of the international students on campus to Six Flags Great America. We were so excited about this trip and could not stop talking about it. And now that it has ended and we have come back to our life at Ripon, I must share with you the wonderful experience we had while in Illinois.

Visiting Six Flags right before Halloween may not be the best idea, especially for my friend Vivian Bai and me, since we get scared easily. There were people dressed as demons and monsters loitering around the entrance of each gate, or section. They tried to scare everybody who passed by, and, although we do not want to admit it, it worked every time on Vivian and me. We ran so fast for our lives. And I am certain that the pitch of my voice was no lower than when we were on the rides. We had so much fun going on different rides; the fact that Six Flags was open from 6-10 pm worked well and it was dark before we noticed. Other Ripon students Kyaw, Soe, Myo, Zin were captured on camera on one of their rides and they purchased the photos. Their faces were priceless!

PAGE 3 FALL 2013 EDITION

Pictured above are international students

Ngan Tran and Jordan Grunawalt practicing

a common Russian dance with others at the

Folk Fair.

INTERNATIONAL MONTH ! !

PAGE 4 MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER WAS INTERNATIONAL MONTH WHICH HIGHLIGHTED COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. LUNCH EACH FRIDAY IN THE COMMONS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS AUTHENTIC FOOD FROM THE COUNTRY OF THE WEEK! IN STUDENT ACTIVITIES THERE WERE AUTHENTIC CLOTHES, COUNTRY FLAGS AND MUSIC FROM THE SELECTED COUNTRY EACH WEEK! COUNTRY PROFILES WERE ALSO PROVIDED. THIS YEAR WE HIGHLIGHTED SYRIA, GUAM AND VIETNAM! THERE ALSO WAS A FASHION SHOW AND INTERNATIONAL FAIR! BELOW ARE PICTURES FROM THE MONTH’S EVENTS.

Queer Straight Alliance

The Queer Straight Alliance is not new, however their name is. Formally known as the Network, QSA has planned and implanted a successful LGBT History month and other various programs. Their mission involves creating an accepting and supportive environment that accepts all sexual orientations and gender identities within and throughout Ripon College.

They also aim to educate in order to facilitate the elimination of homophobia and transphobia. This group meets on Tuesdays at 6pm in room B-12 of the commons.

Black Student Union

BSU is a very established and motivated group. This group has been recognized on campus and at national conferences for their hard

work and dedication to multiculturalism and diversity programming. Some signature programs from BSU are soul food, straight talk, soap box, and Black History Month. Planning for Black History Month 2014 is almost complete but they are excited to announce their 2014 theme “That Includes you…” The purpose of the BSU is to decrease racial ignorance of those on campus and to create cultural awareness on campus. This group meets every Wednesday at 5:15pm in B-12 of the commons.

PAGE 5 FALL 2013 EDITION

R IPON ’S MULTICULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

rRRumba!

Love to dance? Well this group is for you! rRRumba is a student organization that meets every Tuesday and Thursday in Great Hall at 7 and seeks to promote the appreciation and recognition of ballroom dancing as a positive and constructive form of recreation. Every year rRRumba is invited to perform at International Dinner and goes to Salsa Congress, which is a national salsa convention in Chicago. They are always looking for more participants so feel free to join!

Cultural Diversity Club

This is a vey active group for international students and those that love to experience international flavors and culture. The purpose of the club is to highlight the various cultures represented on the campus of Ripon College. This is achieved through various activities including movies, a fashion show, presentations about different countries, dances, sponsoring of speakers and musicians, study breaks, and other activities such as International Dinner. They meet every Thursday in the Pickard Dining Room in the commons at 5pm.

MLK Week 2014

January 27-February

1

Martin Luther King

Jr Day January 20

Home Away from

Home group dinner

January 29 6pm

Black History Month

in February

Chinese New Year

February 31

Ash Wednesday

March 5

Women's History

Month in March

CDC Culture Week

April 7-13

Soul Food April 6

International Dinner

April 13

Easter April 20

300 W. Seward St. Ripon, WI 54971

The Office of Student Activities and Orientation Phone: 920-748-8112 www.ripon.edu/campuslife/diversity Editor of newsletter: Kyonna Withers Assistant Director of Student Activities E-mail: withersk@ripon.edu

are coming to play. If you

look good, then you will

feel good, and you will do

good. James is allergic to

all forms of nuts (almonds,

peanuts, etc), so if you

think of getting him a

foody gift, be careful! You

have to always root for the

home team, so while

James is a fan of the

Baltimore Ravens, he

follows the Washington

Redskins more closely

because of his relationship

with his Uncle, who has

been a diehard fan for

years. As the Assistant

Director of Multicultural

James Bland is coming to

Ripon College from

Virginia by way of

Baltimore, Maryland. He

is a 2012 graduate of

Longwood University

where he earned a B.A. in

Communication Studies

with a concentration in

Organizational

Communication and

Public Relations. A Man

of Class and Fashion,

James is a bow-tie

enthusiast. He owns over

20 and knows how to tie a

regular neck tie into a bow

tie. He believes that you

have to look the part you

Recruitment and Program

Development, his position

is shared between

Admissions and Student

Activities, so he will be

responsible for a small

territory as well as

campus

programming and

outreach to

multicultural

students.

MEET THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MULTICULTURAL RECRUITMENT !

UPCOMING EVENTS & HOLIDAYS

Please feel free to submit relevant and appropriate articles, stories, events, and more to Kyonna Withers for publication consideration.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Office of Student Activities and Orientation or the Ripon College community.