Multicultural Week at Malaspina Feb. 27 to March 3

Community members from Nanaimo and the surrounding region are invited to help celebrate Multicultural Week at Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo.

The week-long celebration from February 27 to March 3 includes a parade, cultural presentations, displays, performances and international cuisine. The event is being organized by Malaspina's international students.

"Our goal is to share international cultures and customs with the community," said Roger Zhu, third-year Tourism and Recreation student at Malaspina. "We hope to increase global awareness by encouraging interaction between international students, Canadian students and the local community."

Zhu said community members are invited to visit the Nanaimo campus, meet international students, "and enjoy this amazing socio-cultural event which celebrates the diverse ethnic cultures and distinctive customs from around the world."

Each year, more than 1,000 international students from over 50 countries study at Malaspina. "The cultural diversity of the student population is one of the key factors that makes Malaspina such a special and unique place," Zhu said.

Multicultural Week kicks off Monday, Feb. 27 at 12 noon with a rally and parade in front of Malaspina’s Centre for International Education (Building 255). "The parade will include participation from international and Canadian students who will highlight various cultures, departments and programs at Malaspina," said Zhu. Later that afternoon, Tourism and Recreation students will host a Multicultural Showcase in Building 255 (Room 170) from 1 to 3 pm.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, there will be cultural presentations by Malaspina Global Studies students in the Royal Arbutus Room, Building 300 (above the Upper Cafeteria) from 1 to 4 pm.

International students will set up colourful cultural displays in the Upper Cafeteria (Building 300) on Wednesday, March 1 from 2 to 5 pm, and students will be available to answer questions.

Cultural performances take place Thursday, March 2 from 2 to 5 pm, also in the Upper Cafeteria, followed by a Multicultural Movie Night beginning at 7 pm in Building 355, Room 203.

The week-long celebration wraps up Friday with an international coffee house in Building 255, Room 170, from 1 to 2:30 pm.

Community members who love international cuisine may want to visit Malaspina's Lower Cafeteria (Building 185) throughout the week for lunch between 11:30 am and 1 pm. Malaspina's Culinary Arts students will prepare various lunches for purchase, featuring foods from Thailand (Monday), Portugal (Tuesday), India (Wednesday), and Greece (Thursday). On Friday, a variety of international menu choices will be available.

Both international and Canadian students have poured hundreds of hours of energy, enthusiasm, creativity and hard work into planning this year's Multicultural Week celebration, said Zhu.

"We’ve received great support from our dedicated student volunteers and staff and faculty at Malaspina's Centre for International Education," he added. "Now we're hoping for community support. Most of all, we hope community members will come and learn about different cultures and have a great time."

All activities during Multicultural Week take place at Malaspina's Nanaimo campus, 900 Fifth Street. For more information visit the website at www.viu.ca/international/activities or contact Yangzi (Ivy) Sun at ivy2004@yahoo.com or Roger Zhu at rogertourism@hotmail.com.