Category: Upcoming

Upcoming events and announcement from ISA

Extravaganza 2016 Schedule

by Ivan Evtimov

extravaganzaPoster

Our annual week-long Extravaganza celebration will showcase the diverse cultures found on our campus. Through brown bags, discussions and interactive events, members of the Lafayette community will be exposed to global perspectives on a multitude of issues.

On the first day(March28th) we will have a Tea and Cookies event hosted by Grossman House.

A series of brown bags will focus on Islam and the western world, study abroad experiences, mexico’s drug war and discussions on holi. More information can be found here

For the first time, Extravaganza will also feature the celebration of the Hindu festival of colors, Holi. An interactive panel discussion with students and faculty will focus on the origins of the holiday while the Day of Colors will allow participants to immerse themselves in an on-campus color party outside Grossman House.
Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to sample traditional food from around the globe at the ever popular Food Tasting event on Friday, April 1st at 6:00 pm in the Marlo room.
Extravaganza will conclude with the Grand Finale on Saturday, April 2nd at 8:30 pm in the Williams Center for the Arts. This show featuring performances from various student groups on campus will showcase the multitude of creative talent at Lafayette. Tickets will be available at all Extravaganza Week events.

ISA EXTRAVAGANZA 2016

by Amrit Bhandari

 

extravaganzaPoster

ISA’s biggest event of the year Extra 2016 will officially kickoff this March 28th with a brown bag on the topic :Islam Hates Us? This extravaganza we have two movie screenings, four  brown bags on topics ranging from study abroad experiences to drug war in Mexico,Food tasting event with more than 20 recipes and THE GRAND FINALE with more than 15 cultural and artistic shocases.Visit http://sites.lafayette.edu/isa/category/extravaganza/ for more info.

Diwali Celebration.

by Amrit Bhandari

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Stressed and need a break from the rigorous academics.Come join us in celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Diwali is one the prominent festivals of Hindus celebrated in India, Nepal and many other countries across the globe.You’ll love the jhakaaas Bollywood dances, melodious songs and the beautiful way Marlo Room will be decorated with lights.Also, the Indian food will be great. Come join us on November 13, 2015 at 5:30 in Marlo Room, Farinon.You’ll love it.

Extravaganza Brownbags

by Ivan Evtimov

The annual Extravaganza week will offer many opportunities to learn about interesting topics from a global perspective during a series of brown bags.

Lunch will be provided at the lunch-time talks.

Kicking off Extravaganza Week on March28th (Monday) at 12:15 pm in Kirby 104, an interactive panel discussion will explore the topic of Islam in the western world. This event, will feature talks by Professor Youshaa Patel (Religious Studies) and Professor Rachel Goshgarian (History). The event will be moderated by Abdul Manan Bhatt ’18.

On March 29th (Tuesday) at 12:15 pm in Hugel 103, Namarata Joshi ’16 will be presenting about the the festival of Colors,Holi. The talk will showcase the origination of Holi festival and several interesting ways it is celebrated in different parts of the world.


On Wednesday, March 30th at 12:15  pm in Oeschle 224,  Rebeka Ramangamihanta ’16, Kemal Dilsiz ’17 and Tomoki Sasaki ’19 will be sharing their experiences about visiting several parts of the globe, and presenting about their opinions about the arts,cultures,travel and education in their respective study abroad countries.

On Thursday, March 31st at 12:15  pm in Kirby 104, Professor Brandon Van Dyck (Government & Law) and Jesse Baer ‘16 will be presenting about socie-economic and several other consequences of the Drug War in Mexico.

 

Cooks needed for the Food Tasting!

by Ivan Evtimov
Food Tasting 2011. Photo by Lafayette College Flickr

Extravaganza week is the ISA’s biggest event of the year, and is happening in  2 WEEKS! We have planned a series of engaging brown bags and other events for the entire Lafayette community to enjoy. One of our most popular extravaganza events/traditions is the Food Tasting Night, which will take place on Friday,April 10th in the Marlo Room.

In order to make this event as successful as it can be, we are in need of LOTS OF HELP… and we were wondering if we could count on you!

WE NEED COOKS!!… (and servers) 

We are seeking cooks from all regions! (yes, that includes North America)  So grab your friends  and members of your organizations and please consider showcasing your cooking skills by preparing a favorite dish from your country. Help us make this year’s Food Tasting another smashing success!

We are asking that all recipes be submitted to us by next Tuesday, March 31 by filling out this survey.

(Or copy and paste this link in your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ICzf7WoKgtDw4OUhSUUGjap5UbzJ6D0gfWFu3KdjyQc/viewform?usp=send_form#start=invite )

Important info you need to know:

  • Since we get about 250-400 people, cooks must prepare 3 XL trays (available thru Janine) of each dish to ensure all attendees get a taste
  • Food should be able to be served in tablespoon size portions for easy distribution (remember it is a food TASTING)
  • Food must be completely cooked before being brought to Marlo in Farinon on Friday, April 10th at 6:00pm – we have tall warming tray units and heating pans to keep hot foods warm until they are served but nothing that can cook food there (check meat to make sure it is fully cooked)
  • Use food safety measures when cooking (check temperatures – keep cold foods cold, hot foods hot, hands washed, etc.).
  • We will have shopping trips to Giant the week of the event so you can purchase the necessary ingredients on our purchase order and not out of pocket
  • Specialty items will be reimbursed but you must have them pre-approved by Janine and you must turn in a receipt or the Controller’s office will not give you the money
  • If your dish requires rice as a base, to save time we can purchase trays of rice from Great Wall
  • ISA has some pots you can use to cook stews as well as a few baking items.
  • Ask friends to help with prep work – you can cook in any residence hall with appropriate facilities as well as Portlock BCC – we recommend cooking as close to Farinon as possible

Mariela Gratero is the Food Tasting Coordinator and will be organizing the shopping trips, making signs for all the dishes, ensuring you have the correct serving utensils for the night of and overseeing the volunteers serving food.  Please feel free to contact her at (graterom@lafayette.edu or 646.755.5916) and  look for future emails from me.

It’s always better to have food left over than to not have enough so please encourage your friends to cook as well.  Let’s make this the best Food Tasting ever!

 

Help Plan Extravaganza!

by Ivan Evtimov
Photo credit: Lafayette College Flickr
Photo credit: Lafayette College Flickr

The most exciting week for ISA is drawing closer. Everyone can be part of it by participating on one of the committees set up to organize different aspects of the event.

Here are the descriptions and you can contact each person for more information. In addition, you can sign up to be a part of one of the committees by filling out this short survey.

(Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://qtrial2015az1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0DJEeLEcXFMtsxv)

Marketing Committee

Contact: Ivan P Evtimov evtimovi@lafayette.edu

As a member of the marketing committee you will work together with individuals that are responsible for all aspects of advertising:

  • Designing and distributing posters of events (e.g., brown bags, grand finale, food tasting)
  • Facebook events/groups (maintaining a strong FB presence)
  • Maintaining/continuously updating the ISA website (i.e., provide information about upcoming events and pictures/videos of past events)
  • Intermittently advertising events via tables in Farinon Atrium 

Grand Finale Committee

Contact: Tamar Jakeli jakelit@lafayette.edu

The closing night of the Extravaganza week, the Grand Finale, is going to be held on the main stage of Williams Arts Center on April 11th. The Grand Finale committee is responsible for:

  • Meeting twice a month to discuss the committee’s progress and outline further goals
  • Maintaining contact with the performers 
  • Attending auditions
  • Attending final rehearsals
  • Helping out with various tasks on the day prior to, and the day of, the Grand Finale
  • Keeping in touch with other members of the committee via email

Food Tasting Committee
Contact: Kanako Shibano shibanok@lafayette.edu

The Food Committee is responsible for handling tasks associated with food consumption during all Extravaganza week events. This includes brown bag lunches, evening events, the Grand Finale dress rehearsal, Grand Finale performer needs, and most significantly, the Food Tasting, which takes place on April 10th (the night prior to the Grand Finale).

  • Brown Bags: Work with Brown Bag team to determine type and quantity of food required for each day, as well as obtain account numbers/purchasing information for paying all vendors.
  • Grand Finale: FTC will bring all necessary supplies to WAC and ensure everything is cleaned up by the time the dress rehearsals are complete.
  • During the performances, water jugs and small cups should be made available in the dressing rooms and cleaned up after the event.
  • Food Tasting: Solicit cooks, obtain their recipes in electronic form using an online tool, provide guidance on types of dishes that work best, explain the quantities needed and compile the recipes by region, and assist people cooking as needed.
  • Ensure that everything is set up and cleaned up satisfactorily.

ISA Derby Day Feedback

by Ivan Evtimov
Derby Day 2014; Lafayette College Flickr
Derby Day 2014; Lafayette College Flickr

Student Government asked the ISA board to provide feedback on ways of improving Derby Day, a campus-wide celebration held in the spring. We are providing all ISA members with the opportunity to share their thoughts on this question. Please, find out more about Derby Day at this link. This is your chance to make your voice heard, so go ahead and fill out this quick survey!

Work Authorization Workshops

by Ivan Evtimov

The work authorization workshops for this semester have ended. For information on CPT and OPT and other immigration related issues, Janine can always be reached for questions at x5546 or at blockj@lafayette.edu. More information on Janine’s availability can be found here.

Our International Student Advisor, Janine Block, will hold two workshops on work authorization for F-1 students this semester.

Information on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) will be presented on Sunday, February 1st before our February General Body Meeting in Keefe Commons. The workshop begins at 2 pm and will be followed by the meeting at 3 pm.

Topics to be discussed include:

  1. Lafayette’s Internship Policies and how they fit in CPT authorization
  2. How to apply for CPT
  3. What to do if you don’t qualify for CPT, but still want to work off campus

Information on Optional Practical Training (OPT) will be presented on Monday, February 23rd. The workshop begins at 5:30 pm and will be held in 101 Hogg Hall.

The process of applying for OPT takes 3 steps:

  1. Schedule an appointment with Janine between February 9th and February 20th to obtain the required I-20.
  2. Gather all you application documents, including two passport pictures.
  3. Come by Hogg on February 21st to make copies and prepare your application for mailing.

IMPORTANT: The OPT Workshop that was to be held on Saturday, Februray 21st has been postponed for Monday, February 23rd, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm in Hogg Hall due to the inclement weather.

 

Audition for Grand Finale 2015!

by Ivan Evtimov

To sign up for the auditions, fill out this Doodle poll! You can also read more information below.

Are you a good dancer?

Can you sing? Play an instrument or like to act?

The consider jumping on stage and amazing people with your unique performance during ISA’s Extravaganza Grand Finale!

We are looking for talented students to perform at the closing show of Lafayette’s week-long celebration of the many cultures represented among our college community. We welcome all kinds of performances from all students, not just those who come from abroad. We want to put together an event that showcases all of the different talents on our campus.

Auditions will to take place on March 1st (5-7 pm) and March 7th (2-4 pm) in Keefe Commons. Extravaganza will run from April 6th – April 11th this year, culminating with the Grand Finale on Saturday, April 11th on the big stage of the Williams Center for the Arts.

Sign up by filling out this Doodle poll (or copy and paste this link in your browser: http://doodle.com/frni3577rg7cyfmn). 

The survey will ask you for a name and then a contact e-mail. If you are auditioning as a group, provide the name of the group and the e-mail of the group leader. If your group does not have an official name, please put down the name of one contact person and his or her e-mail.

You can sign up for one 15-minute slot.

Please, note that you can audition either as a group or individually, depending on the nature of your performance. We do not expect to see the full act at the auditions, but just a solid sample. And if you’re interested in participating but don’t have a group to join, let us know and we’ll help find you one!  Contact ISA’s Vice President, Kanako Shibano (shibanok@lafayette.edu) for more information/questions. If neither of the audition dates work for you, please let Kanako know and we can work with you to schedule another time.

View pictures from past years’ performances on our website or visit Lafayette College’s Flickr account.  Hope you will perform with us!

Extravaganza 2016 coming up!

by Ivan Evtimov
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Grand Finale’12

The ISA is busy at planning the next amazing week of events celebrating the many different cultures at Lafayette. Please, stay tuned for information on how to get involved and the events that we will be holding this year.

Extravaganza is going to run from March 28th to April 2nd, culminating with a Grand Finale, an amazing show with international and domestic students presenting music, dances and other performances from around the world.

March Around the World

by Ivan Evtimov

March Around the World is an annual event where Lafayette students visit the March Elementary School and teach the kids the different cultures in the world. We will focus on four aspects of cultures: physical, creative, food, and language, which includes Irish dancing, making spring rolls, learning animal names in Swahili, and making Columbian paper molas. This year, we have over 35 students participating in March Around the World. Pictures are coming soon!

Moroccan Nights Formal

by Ivan Evtimov

Moroccan Nights

Are you excited for the annual formal? This time we are co-sponsoring with the Office of Intercultural Development, the Gender and Sexuality Program, Landis Community Outreach Center, and Religious and Spiritual Life.

Transport yourselves to the streets of Marrakesh and kick off the semester with an evening of fun at Green Pond Country Club. This semi-formal event includes a fabulous meal and music by DJ EvDaddy. So get out your ties, dresses and dancing shoes and invite your friends to come experience the exotic feel of Morocco.

Tickets purchased between January 28 and February 4 will cost $20 and must be purchased in person at 101 Hogg Hall. (Please bring exact change. The ticket is not refundable!)

Stop into 101 Hogg Hall any weekday from 9-4 and see Tracey Itterly to grab your spot. Transportation and meal information available upon registration.