By Justin Young

Asst. News Editor

Those lacking activities on their calendar this weekend may want to check out the One World Celebration.

The event, which begins Thursday and ends officially on Friday, Feb. 15 but unofficially continues through the following weekend, will feature several student groups providing everything from kung fu demonstrations to Indian movie screenings.

Dean of Hendricks Chapel Thomas Wolfe, head of the event, said he hopes the week provides a snapshot of university life to students who would otherwise not be involved in these types of events.

“We want to give a window to the multicultural dimension of the university,” Wolfe said.

He added that they have planned the celebration since September when they set up the meetings and decided exactly when the festivities would take place. In essence, Wolfe said he just declared it “One World Week” and told student groups on campus that if they had something planned, then they may want to think about doing it during the week.

The celebration began three years ago and has had a different head each year, with Wolfe taking control this year because it “was his turn.” Wolfe was on the board in previous years.

One of the groups involved in the celebration is Asian Students In America. ASIA is participating by celebrating the lunar new year Feb. 15 with a kung fu demonstration and a lion dance by a dance troupe from New York City. They are co-sponsoring the event with the Hong Kong Cultural Association, something they do not usually do, said President Suzie Lee.

“There usually isn’t much collaboration between groups,” Lee said. “But this year with budget and room constraints, it just made sense.”

Lee added that having two groups sponsor the event proved to be a more attractive proposal to the Student Association for funding. This way they could kill two birds with one stone, Lee said.

“I didn’t expect things to go so well,” said Lee, a senior inclusive elementary education major.

Another group listed as a participant in the One World Celebration is the Black Artist League. That, however, is news to President Kris Kranen. In a flier that will begin being posted today, the BAL is scheduled to host a jazz night 9:00 p.m. Saturday in Perc Place. The event will be taking place at that time, date and location but has nothing to do with the celebration, Kranen said. No one from the planning committee called or e-mailed the BAL to ask permission to incorporate their event, Kranen added.

“I am shocked they didn’t even bother to talk to me,” said Kranen, an undecided sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The event, which will feature singing, dancing, poetry, a guest speaker and a performance by jazz band Sold Together, was supposed to take place last November but was bumped back to the current date due to funding problems. Regardless of its affiliation to the One World Celebration, Kranen still expects the event to be a success.

“We are just going to try and bring people back to the roots of the music that has influenced so much of today’s music,” Kranen said. “It’s going to be a great event.”

Published on February 5, 2002 at 12:00 pm