University of Cincinnati Celebrates Its Worldwide Connections

UC’s Connections Around the World

• Over the current school year, 310 University of Cincinnati students spent time studying, working in service learning, serving internships or working at cooperative experiences abroad.
• 36 countries/regions around the world have welcomed these UC students over the academic year, with the United Kingdom (43) and France (42) seeing the highest numbers of students.
   (Source: Institute for Global Studies and Affairs)

UC’s World Presence on Campus

• Each year, more than 2,500 people from 100 different countries come to UC to study, teach, research, lecture and perform.
• This year, those countries stretch from A-Z: Albania to Zimbabwe.
  (Source: UC International Student Services Office)

Every spring since 1996, Worldfest has celebrated the University of Cincinnati’s connections around the world.

Worldfest begins April 29

and ends with a Taste of India on Mother’s Day, May 8. Here is the full schedule of events:

Friday, April 29

7 p.m., Great Hall, Tangeman University Center (TUC)
Ushindi Awards Banquet
Ushindi, which is Swahili for the word “Victory,” is celebrated every spring by the African American Cultural and Research Center (AACRC). Ushindi acknowledges and celebrates the accomplishments and achievements of current student leaders, participants in the Transitions program (a first-year experience program to build on retention and graduation rates), and academic excellence through the Kujifanza celebration. Ohio State Senator Mark Mallory will be keynote speaker.
Free and open to the public (tickets required)
For tickets, contact: AACRC, 513-556-1177 or visit the Web site at www.uc.edu/aacrc

Saturday, April 30

2-5 p.m., McMicken Commons (Rain location: TUC Atrium)
Ushindi Cookout
Free and open to the public
Contact: AACRC, 513-556-1177

Sunday, May 1

11 a.m.-1 p.m., African American Cultural and Research Center (AACRC)
Ushindi “Church Service”
Free and open to the public
Contact: AACRC, 513-556-1177 or visit the Web site at www.uc.edu/aacrc

Monday, May 2

Noon-3 p.m., Calhoun Hall, 13th Floor
Tunnel of Oppression
This tour will include displays and a video and discussion of oppression around the world. Calhoun staff will be escorting people to the tunnel after they first meet in the main lobby of Calhoun Hall.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Matt McCarren, residence coordinator, 513-556-8280

4-6 p.m., Engineering Research Center, Room 427
Tsunami Relief Seminar
This event is sponsored by the UC student chapter of Association for India’s Development (AID), one of the UC organizations active in fund-raising efforts after the devastating tsunami hit Africa and Asia. Srinivas Mirle, a P&G scientist and longtime AID volunteer, will share his experience of assisting victims in the tsunami-affected areas, as will Professor of Social Work Steven Sunderland, who traveled with a delegation to Indonesia in March to promote peace and healing in the region.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Rishi Khar, AID President, 513-556-8500 (H); 513-556-7044 (O); e-mail: kharr@email.uc.edu

7-9 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
Worldfest Keynote Speaker: Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale was co-founder and former chairman for the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, which was formed in 1966. Seale will describe how the “Power to the People” revolution has come full circle as he details how times have changed and issues the call for a new breed of social and political activism.
Contact: Ahoo Tabatabai, diversity education, 513-556-6115

Tuesday, May 3

1-2:30 p.m., Great Hall, Tangeman University Center (TUC)
International Career Forum
During this forum, sponsored by the UC Career Development Center, students will gather the tools and techniques to prepare them for working in the new global marketplace.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Velta Kelly-Foster, program coordinator, 513-556-3471

2-6 p.m., Calhoun Hall, 13th Floor
Tunnel of Oppression
This tour will include displays and a video and discussion of oppression around the world. Calhoun staff will be escorting people to the tunnel after they first meet in the main lobby of Calhoun Hall.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Matt McCarren, residence coordinator, 513-556-8280

3-4 p.m., TUC, Room 400-B
On the Same Page Event: Discussion of ‘The Kite Runner’
This novel was selected for adult readers as part of the fourth-annual community-wide  reading club, “On the Same Page,” sponsored by The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The novel is a coming of age story about a friendship between two boys in pre-Soviet Afghanistan. The discussion will be led by Barbara Ramusack, UC Charles Phelps Taft Professor of History.
Contact: Deborah Weinstein, director of business affairs, Student Affairs and Services, 513-556-6049

7 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
Ujima: Beautiful Black Expressions
A showcase of African American culture, talent and black-owned businesses, sponsored by the United Black Student Association (UBSA)
Free and open to the public
Contact: Sha-Kim Ray, e-mail raysm@email.uc.edu

Wednesday, May 4

11 a.m.-2 p.m., McMicken Commons
International Student Festival
A Worldfest tradition, the festival features a variety of cultural displays and cuisines from student organizations and community groups. The event also features spectacular cultural performances by students and community groups and international merchandise.
Free
Contact: Janet Schneider, International Student Services, 513-556-4338; Muthar Al-Ubaidi, professor, 513-556-6573

6-9 p.m., Calhoun Hall, 13th Floor
Tunnel of Oppression
This tour will include displays and a video and discussion of oppression around the world. Calhoun staff will be escorting people to the tunnel after they first meet in the main lobby of Calhoun Hall.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Matt McCarren, residence coordinator, 513-556-8280

5-7 p.m., MainStreet Cinema, TUC
Film, “The Take”
The film is a documentary, tracing the plight of 30 factory workers who were affected by the 2001 economic collapse of Argentina. The auto-parts workers walked into their idle factory and refused to leave, demanding that the machines start running again.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Ahoo Tabatabai, diversity coordinator, 513-556-6115

7 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
Time Zone: Decades of Style
This event will highlight popular clothing and artistic expressions of some of America’s most stylistically distinctive decades through UC’s diverse student population.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Derrick Jenkins, program coordinator, Ethnic Programs and Services, 513-556-1020

Thursday, May 5

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., TUC Atrium
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
The event, sponsored by the Program and Activities Council (PAC), will feature traditional Mexican-themed refreshments and a Mariachi band.
Free and open to the public
Contact: PAC Office, 513-556-6102

3:30 p.m., Hillel Jewish Student Center, 2615 Clifton Ave.
Yom HaShoah, Holocaust, Memorial Service
May 5 marks the National Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust. The Hillel Jewish Student Center will hold a memorial ceremony that will feature music, art and poetry. Guest speaker Miriam M. Brysk is a Holocaust survivor who remembers her experience by creating art pieces out of photographs of family members and others who suffered under Nazi rule. Brysk will discuss her innovative and captivating works of art while revealing her own survival story. Her survival included hiding in the woods and in the homes of Christian neighbors, as well as disguising herself as a boy and living in ghettos. Her art will be on display at Hillel through the observance.
Free and open to the public
Contact: Hillel Jewish Student Center, 513-221-6728
www.hillelcincinnati.org

4-5 p.m., TUC, Room 415-A and B
Domestic Violence and International Women
This program is examining the dynamics of domestic violence within the homes of immigrant women and international students. It will also look at the resources and options available to them. The program is presented by Amelia Berry of the Alliance for Battered and Abused International Women and sponsored by the UC Women’s Center.
Contact: Kim Fulbright, UC Women’s Center Sexual Assault Prevention Graduate Assistant, 513-556-4329

Friday, May 6

7-11 p.m., Marriott Kingsgate Conference Center Ballroom
Discover Philippines Scholarship Banquet
The Discover Philippines Student Association is hosting this banquet to raise funds and awareness for the new Discover Philippines Scholarship, which will be awarded once a year to a dedicated student member.
Costs:
RSVP: $45 per person, $75 couple, $25 student
Door prices: $50 per person, $85 couple, $30 student
Contact: ucdpsa@yahoo.com

8-10 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
METRO/CWEST Talent Show
For more than 50 years, the men of METRO and the women of CWEST have programmed their annual talent show. Each spring, the talent show brings hundreds of students, faculty and staff together to enjoy a variety of talents performed by UC students.
Contact: Matt Mezinskis, 513-237-9651, e-mail mezinsmj@email.uc.edu

Saturday, May 7

11 a.m.-7 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
Discover Philippines 9: Isang Lahi
This ninth annual event, which refers to the Tagalog, or main Philippine dialect, of the phrase, “One Race,” will celebrate Philippine culture with dancing, art, food and workshops.
Free and open to the public
Contact: ucdpsa@yahoo.com

Sunday, May 8

10 a.m.-5 p.m., Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center
Filipino Basketball Classic: Battle of the Cities
Four city teams – their members mostly Filipino – will compete in a tournament that will also feature music, videogames and ethnic dishes.
Free and open to the public
Contact: ucdpsa@yahoo.com

Noon-3 p.m., Great Hall, TUC
Taste of India
This annual Worldfest tradition is a spectacular showcase of Indian culture. The UC student chapter of Association for India’s Development (AID) invites you to celebrate Mother’s Day the Indian way and glimpse the vibrant colors, tastes and sights that are India. The food festival will also feature cultural displays and performances.
Free and open to the public
Contact:  Rishi Khar, AID President, 513-556-8500 (H); 513-556-7044 (O); e-mail: kharr@email.uc.edu

3:30 p.m., MainStreet Cinema (TUC)
Taste of India Film Presentation 
The Taste of India celebration continues with the movie, “Lagaan,” a 2001 academy award nominee for best foreign language film. In Victorian India, a village hopes to escape paying crippling taxes under British rule by accepting a challenge to a game of cricket – a game they have never played.
Free and open to the public
Contact:  Rishi Khar, AID President, 513-556-8500 (H); 513-556-7044 (O); e-mail: kharr@email.uc.edu

5:45 p.m., Zimmer Auditorium
“Swar Sangham”
This Worldfest celebration will present a classical fusion music concert of the Veena, a stringed South Indian instrument, and the Sitar. It is sponsored by the UC student organization, Society for Appreciation of Bharatiya Heritage and Arts (SABHA). Associated with the College-Conservatory of Music, SABHA promotes awareness in Indian (Bharatiya) heritage and arts through concerts and other art forms focused on classical music and dance.
Free and open to the public
Web site: http://www.uc.edu/groups/sabha/
Contact: Jothiram Athreya, 513-602-9476

9 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Great Hall, TUC
Salsa Night 
This fund-raiser for tsunami relief efforts is co-sponsored by Worldfest and by the Graduate Student Governance Association. Beginners can get lessons in salsa and then take to the floor with the band, “Salsa Caliente.”
Admission: $5 at the door
Contact: Rishi Khar, Graduate Student Governance Association West Campus Representative, 513-556-8500 (H); 513-556-7044 (O); e-mail: kharr@email.uc.edu

Check the Worldfest Events at Raymond Walters College