After two years of virtual and hybrid events, the energy and excitement of an in-person celebration of the Indianapolis campus’ global community returned for the 2023 IUPUI International Festival. On February 14, 2023, the Campus Center once again buzzed with the chatter of countless student organizations, the vibrance of live international music, the smells of food from around the world, and the joy of people connecting. Though the event has been held for over 15 years, this was the first time since 2020 that it could return to its full capacity.
It was Latino Student Association Secretary and IUPUI sophomore Melanie Reyes’ first festival, and though she was tabling for the student organization, it didn’t disappoint. “I never noticed how many organizations are here on campus. Like looking around, looking down[stairs], I’m like, oh my God, this is so much! It’s so cool to know that there’s all these communities coming together.”
Graduate student Mounisha of DesiJags echoed that enthusiasm. In her first semester as an international student from India, she shared “I’m feeling very excited to see each and every country flag represented here. No one gets an opportunity to know about different kinds of cultures and different types of countries just in one place! But I got the opportunity to!”
Visitors to the festival could interact with dozens of campus organizations, sample international food from Chartwells, get their photos taken with the international flag of their choice at a 360 degree photo booth, and more, all while attending informative lectures on the third floor and enjoying musical performances from student and local cultural groups alike. A virtual scavenger hunt encouraged students to go beyond admiring the decorations and moving on, rewarding them for engaging with other students, cultures, ideas, and foods.
Interim Chancellor Andrew Klein welcomed guests to the festival, celebrating not just the international community, but the core purpose of IUPUI: preparing its students for success in an increasingly globally engaged world. “At IUPUI, this preparation grows out of our comprehensive and globalized curriculum and our diverse student body—including nearly 1,700 international students. It grows out of bringing together faculty and staff from around the world who innovate in their classrooms as outstanding teachers and in their laboratories as world-class researchers. These are the building blocks for a vibrant and inclusive global campus culture. The International Festival provides the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate that culture as well as to reaffirm IUPUI’s strategic goal to become a more global campus in partnership with Indianapolis as it becomes a global city.”
The fun wasn’t just for students: it provided an important point of connection for university organizations, too. The Multicultural Center’s Social Justice Specialist Shonda Nicole Gladden experienced the festival for the first time representing an organization instead of as a student herself. “I love IUPUI and to see the diversity of our students, and we have [had] a number of staff and faculty who’ve been through. It’s just been awesome, so exciting to see the energy!”
For LGBTQ+ Center Director Li Pietruszka, the event was a way to get students thinking, “For us, tabling here has been a really engaging experience. We do a decent amount of tabling where we do this type of activity, thinking about reflecting on gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sex assigned at birth, romantic sexual attraction, and how these things are not inherently the same… as I’m having these conversations with students there’s been a lot more engagement, which is both exciting and really validating for the work that we’re doing.”
With sounds of Egyptian tablas and Chinese lion dancing drums echoing through the Campus Center, the lectures on the third floor provided an opportunity for faculty and students to share their expertise outside of the classroom. In one session, “Green Teams,” which are informal staff committees dedicated to creating a more sustainable workplace, shared ideas and their perspective on the global impact of sustainability. As Valentine’s cards and international poetry in each of the seven languages taught at IUPUI were shared on the first floor, graduate students shared their in-depth analysis of multilinguistic literary works. Whether it was learning Chinese calligraphy, what their name looked like in Arabic, or what traditional mehndi designs look like on their hands, visitors explored the depth of the global community on campus.
Though an event built on celebrating the community here in Indianapolis, Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs, Hilary Kahn highlighted the relationships that extend beyond the city’s limits. “Remember that global understanding must include a sense of responsibility and commitment to the world. This festival is part of stretching our connections and caring across boundaries.” Included as a part of the festival were links supporting those affected by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Her words remind us that though the music may have stopped, and the United Nations Flag Collection may soon come down, the spirit of iFest lives on in the work of the Office of International Affairs, and all of IU. Events like the festival are just one opportunity to reach out and show that all are welcome in the Hoosier state, and that we all belong. International student Kiran puts it best: when cultures are on display, “it makes the campus feel more inclusive for everyone.”
All photos courtesy of Liz Kaye, Indiana University
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