One World, One Purdue celebration lifting up global diversity on campus

More than 50 events this week and next at Purdue West Lafayette have listed their names in this year’s One World, One Purdue celebration, which touches upon language, food, music, dance and many other aspects of culture and diversity. Some events will offer discussion of important issues of difference, identity and multiculturalism.

An organizing committee is calling attention to Purdue’s global diversity by creating this OWOP calendar, which displays events by a variety of cooperating campus units and organizations, as well as some by the committee. The unifying theme is International Education Week, which is Nov. 18-22, but OWOP coordinator Rahul Kartick says Purdue just has too many good, diverse events to fit into one week.

The official opening ceremony for OWOP is at 5-5:30 p.m. today (Nov. 11) in the Atrium at Marriott Hall. A keynote address will be given by Mayor John Dennis of West Lafayette. Other speakers include Richard Ghiselli, head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management; George T.C. Chiu, assistant dean in the College of Engineering overseeing Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships; and Jordan M. Boileau, president of Purdue Student Government. Kartick and Ivan Henares of the Purdue Fulbright Association will offer welcomes. An International Food Market expected to feature 20 or more stations will run 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the same location.

The official closing event will be the World Dance Festival at 5-7:30 p.m. Nov. 21, also in Marriott Hall’s Atrium. However, several events are available through Nov. 23.

Kartick, a computer engineering senior and OWOP coordinator for International Student Peer Coaching (ISPC) in the College of Engineering, says the organizing committee consists of people from several organizations -- ISPC, Purdue Fulbright Association, Purdue Cultural Catalysts, Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships (GEPP) and the Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) Graduate Student Organization. Building on their momentum, they plan to make OWOP an organization in itself next year.

More about One World, One Purdue, including a printable event calendar, is on a Facebook page.