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Music, dancing and the aroma of food trucks filled the quad Thursday, immersing students in CultureFest immediately upon arrival.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted Syracuse University’s first CultureFest last week, which showcased over 20 clubs and organizations to help students connect with cultural opportunities on campus.

Newly appointed Vice President of the Diversity and Inclusion program, Mary Grace A. Almandrez, said events like CultureFest support important opportunities for students to learn about their own culture and identity, and grow a more inclusive environment.

“As this is my first year at Syracuse, it was a great introductory event for me to meet the students and the cultural basis of the community,” Almandrez said.

Attendees could try foods from an array of diverse food trucks at the event. One truck, Oompa Loompyas Filipino Fusion served tacos, fried rice and lumpia, a dish resembling a crispy meat spring roll. Birdsong Café offered its patrons lavender lemonade, Mexican coffee or sweet crepes as dessert.

The event also featured performances from the Haudenosaunee and African communities as well as several spiritual groups, such as Syracuse Hillel and the Christian Outreach Program. Students don’t have to be Jewish or Christian to join either group.

”CultureFest is important to us as it gives us the opportunity to interact with a wider cultural audience and we can convey the message that the Christian community is for all people,” said Sandy Slovikosky, president of the Christian Outreach Program

Almandrez, who has been in the higher education field for more than 25 years, said CultureFest helps bring people together to make a more diverse campus. The event fostered important conversations about how to make the university a more inclusive environment, and how students can support each other, she said.

CultureFest is just one of the plethora of events at the university for students who are seeking cultural diversity and opportunities, Almandrez said.

“When will there be (another) time when you’re enveloped in such a diverse environment with equally diverse opportunities?” Almandrez said. “College is the time to get involved.”

Almandrez said she believes events like CultureFest support the important opportunities for students to learn about their peers’ culture and identity as well as their own to create a more inclusive environment.

“It is an opportunity to learn further about what’s going on in the office and to ask questions on a more intimate basis,” she said.

Published on September 25, 2022 at 11:18 pm