To celebrate international students and cultural difference on campus, the 13th annual Multicultural Festival will be held on Friday, April 6, 2007 in Texas/American Ballrooms on the 3rd floor of the Texas A&M University-Commerce Sam Rayburn Memorial Student Center (MSC).
The festival has been cosponsored by the International Student Services (ISS) and the Association of the International Students (AIS). According to the organizations, the program will provide the opportunity for all students, national and international, to represent their presence and their unique cultures.
Currently, Texas A&M University-Commerce enrolls approximately 446 international students representing 51 countries.
The event will include the Flag Parade, exotic food tasting, arts, crafts and cultural display, talent contest and fashion show.
The flag parade will be led by a traditional lion dance and the United States flag bearer. Other countries will follow in alphabetical order. The procession will begin from the East Lawn. After making a round of the campus, it will conclude at American/Texas Ballroom.
At the conclusion of the parade, President McFarland will address the event with a welcoming note and the cultural program will begin formally. It will be followed by a flag introduction, where the flag bearers would give a brief introduction of their countries and themselves.
Food sampling, a major attraction of the program, will feature food from different parts of the world, as visitors would get an opportunity to taste international delicacies. Alongside, there would be arts, crafts and a cultural display.
Likewise in the talent contest, participants will perform various dances, songs and other forms of entertainment from their country. Afterwords there will be a fashion show showcasing attires from different cultures. The program will end at around 2 p.m. with the announcement of the winners of the Talent Show.
Tickets for the festival are $3.00 each. They may be purchased prior to the festival from the ISS Office located on the 3rd floor of the McDowell Administration Building, room 350, and will also be sold at the door.
For more information see www.tamu-commerce.edu/international or call the International Student Services (903) 886-5097.