South Oval Gets Cultured

International students had the opportunity last week to showcase their cultures to the community from 22 different international student organizations.

           
The University of Oklahoma’s International Advisory Committee hosted the 14^th annual International Bazaar last Friday on the Van Vleet Oval.

Each organization that participated in the International Bazaar had a booth set up on the South Oval to sell handmade toys, clothing, jewelry and accessories from their countries and to serve cultural snacks, according to Janice Levi, international programs coordinator for the College of International Studies at OU.

“They also put on cultural performances, music and activities for children, including a cultural scavenger hunt,” Levi said.

Throughout the school year, the International Advisory Committee works with various student organizations at OU to host a number of different cultural events, according to Cassandra Toney, president of the International Advisory Committee.

“The International Advisory Committee is the umbrella organization for 22 international student organizations, and the International Bazaar is just one of the events we put on,” Toney said.

The International Bazaar is also a way to show the OU student body the cultural diversity of the 2,000 international students at the university, according to Toney.

The International Advisory Committee’s goal is to offer students and the community unique ways to learn about and experience other countries throughout the world and their cultures. OU’s International Advisory Committee hosts the Eve of Nations in the spring, which is the largest cultural event in the state of Oklahoma, according to Toney.

The International Advisory Committee has one more event scheduled for this semester, the winter ball. The winter ball will be held Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union ballroom. For more information on this and other upcoming events, visit the organization’s website at iac.ou.edu.