Students and faculty from cultural-based organizations will have the opportunity to celebrate a new year for students. The Culture Centers Welcome fair will feature resources on the Quad from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday.   

The fair is being hosted by resource centers on campus, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Huey Hsiao, the associate director, said this will be the first time the fair will be on the Quad.  

Hsiao said that they’re expecting the fair to be bigger this year with two tents: one set up for food and another for organizations tabling. Seventy organizations will be tabling this year’s event, including registered student organizations, resource centers and academic departments. 

“It is a celebration of the different cultures we have here on campus, thinking in terms of intersectionality, identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, faith, ability,” Hsiao said. “We want to be a place where everyone can kind of come together and students come to meet people and see that there’s a lot of different identities represented.” 

Hsiao added that the office has been working closely with the College of Arts and Sciences and a chief diversity and inclusion officer to ensure that academic departments were represented at the event. Departments, such as Asian Studies, African American Studies and the South Asia Center are slated to attend. 

Hsiao said they wanted to make sure they were providing something for everyone and helping students find a place on campus early in their SU careers.  

“I think often times, especially students with marginalized identities, may want to feel a stronger sense of belonging to this campus,” Hsiao said, “So we’ve tried to be very intentional with this event so that students can get an early opportunity to find places that can be home to them.” 

Hsiao said that this home can be in many different places, whether it’s a student organization, office or academic department. 

Yanan Wang, president of Asian Students in America (ASIA), agree, and said it’s important for students to find a place where can relate to others. She also said that her organization is like a family for anyone who joins. 

“Syracuse is actually very diverse. There’s a lot of organizations that focus on different aspects of culture and identity, so I think it will be nice for them to realize that no matter who they are they have a place on campus,” Wang said. 

Wang said that she also expects a bigger turnout this year because of the fair’s placement on the Quad and the addition of BBQ-style food. She said she didn’t understand why the cultural fair was never on the Quad, while the involvement fair was, but thinks it’s a good change. 

The president of La L.U.C.H.A., a Latinx organization on campus, Andrea Roque said that the Quad will attract more students, especially first-year students, as well as it being a welcoming place. 

“It’s going to be easier for them to know Syracuse is involved with so many organizations that is going to provide diversity for everyone,” Roque said.  

While the event is for all students at SU, Wang said that it’s very beneficial for first-year students because it will make such a big campus feel like much smaller and can help them find a place on campus where they can feel comfortable.  

Roque said that she runs La L.U.C.H.A. in a way that isn’t as dependent on commitment, but instead on making sure members feel safe and welcomed. She said that while attending the fair is beneficial for spreading the word on their club, it’s also a great way to see each cultural organizations supporting each other. 

“Even though I’m still a minority, there’s still a lot of people here who are also minorities, but there’s clubs and organizations that care about them,” Roque said, “I feel like it shows how Syracuse with every (organization) whether it’s professional or social or dance team or Greek life; it shows how diverse this school itself is.” 

Published on August 29, 2019 at 1:08 am

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu