What
do Plaid Print, Fasting, Bollywood, and a Shabbat Service all have in
common?
Ok ok ok ok, so
stop me if you already heard this
one: “A Muslim man and an Hindu woman walk into a Tea Room…” Oh, you
don’t know
that one? What about “A Gay man and an
Irish man go to Fiesta…” Nope, nothing. “Really? Ok, how about the one
where a
Black woman and a member of the Asian Subcontinental Association walk
into a
bar that is no longer a bar?” Have you
completely lost me on this one?! Get to the point already lady. Yes,
well,
badly stereotyped jokes aside, I am trying to talk about Celebration and
Awareness
Week (and butchering it, as you can all see I’m not cut out to be a
comedian). All of these bizarre occurrences
are actually taking place this week; you just have to find the right
room
(Lightner Tea Room; Fiesta Room; and Tiger’s Den, respectively) on
campus to be
a part of party.
Celebration and Awareness Week
is a time to have fun while learning about different aspects of
diversity, but it
is also a time to reflect on life. How often do you actually take the
time to
stop, and really look at your surroundings- look at the way campus
organizations, classes, study habits, physical activities, musical
interludes,
and dorm life all intersect to form the Trinity Bubble we know and love.
Trinity Diversity Connection hosts Celebration and Awareness Week for
just this
reason: to give students the opportunity to look around and see that
there is
more to this campus than reading that William Dean Howells’ book for
class
(sorry Dr. Stokes).
Diversity is about celebrating differences, but also about recognizing similarities in human nature. So when I happened to wear plaid pants on Monday only to fit in perfectly with all the other plaid at GCS’ Kilt and Knotwork Night, I chalked it up to last year’s President- Sidra Qureshi- and her knowledge that even the most random seeming circumstances can add up to a good connection with other people. So if you haven’t made it out to any CAW events lately, I wish I could say that the three ghosts of TDC’s past would come haunt you too, but I can’t: However, I can tell you with confidence that you are missing out on some great experiences to meet new people, to challenge yourself into trying new activities or foods, as well as missing some seriously excellent music.
Diversity is about celebrating differences, but also about recognizing similarities in human nature. So when I happened to wear plaid pants on Monday only to fit in perfectly with all the other plaid at GCS’ Kilt and Knotwork Night, I chalked it up to last year’s President- Sidra Qureshi- and her knowledge that even the most random seeming circumstances can add up to a good connection with other people. So if you haven’t made it out to any CAW events lately, I wish I could say that the three ghosts of TDC’s past would come haunt you too, but I can’t: However, I can tell you with confidence that you are missing out on some great experiences to meet new people, to challenge yourself into trying new activities or foods, as well as missing some seriously excellent music.
So if you feel regret about not going to a CAW event
yet, or just want to keep those unique CAW experiences coming, I suggest
you
try to attend JSA’s “Shabbat Service” TONIGHT in the Tehuacana Room
(7:30-9:00pm) and/or SDA’s “Fun and Gaymes”- yes, it is spelled that way
on
purpose- in the Fiesta Room (6:00-7:30pm). And of course, TDC’s Grand
Finale is on
Saturday (7-10pm) with “Night of Color”! There will be dancing,
activities,
food, as well as a chance to win one of those great Celebration and
Awareness
Week t-shirts that you see us wearing around campus today.
Whether or not you ended up going to BSU’s
“Outspoken Lyrics” Tuesday or tasted new foods at FSA’s “Fear Factor”
challenge
on Wednesday, Celebration and Awareness Week is all about being able to
look at
this campus in a new light. Say hello to your old friends, but don’t be
afraid
to mix it up and say hi to that passing stranger on your walk to class
in the
morning. You might learn something new about life, this campus, or
yourself in
the process.
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