India, Denmark, Japan, Turkey, Germany and the Middle East.
These diverse places may not have much in common, but just last weekend, students and community members alike had the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures during Hart Halls, 10th annual Global Awareness Conference.
In over a day and a half, Hart Hall global learning and living center was transformed into a cultural epicenter with student presentations, food tastings, music, dancing and culturally relevant speeches.
After 10 years of hosting the conference, it has become important to the Oswego State community.
“This is our 10th conference and we have been able to host keynote speakers from all over the world, educate literally thousands of people, and create ongoing collaborations with groups all over the world to improve people’s lives,” Hart Hall Faculty Director, Rebecca Burch said. “I am very proud of what the conference has been able to accomplish.”
This year’s keynote speaker focused on the cultural awareness of today’s Muslim population. Bassam Tariq presented the foundation of the Muslim experience with a special focus on the Syrian refugee crisis, which was the underlying theme of the conference. Tariq is an acclaimed filmmaker, with his Sundance-funded film “These Birds Walk” making a presence on several best film of the year lists. In addition, Tariq is a TED Fellow, blogger and owns a halal butcher shop.
Many who attended Tariq’s keynote presentation were empathetically surprised at their own reactions.
Hart Hall resident hall director Brian Gordinier said that Tariq a “stirring presentation.”
“An essential part of the college experience is broadening horizons and obtaining a greater understanding of culture,” Gordinier said. “I believe the conference was a great proponent of this mindset.”
Events at the conference ranged from cultural food sampling to study abroad tabling, foreign documentaries and discussions on modern topics.
“The conference gives people from all walks of life both on campus and in the community the opportunity to learn about other cultures and important global issues, and to celebrate the diversity of humanity,” Burch said.
Many attendees were in agreement that the conference was not only a success, but incorporated many aspects of culture and had a myriad of opportunities to learn.
“There were a lot of influential presentations and programs,” graduate resident mentor of Hart Hall, Jenna Brown said. Every student could find something they were interested in and could learn more about.”
Through social media students that were not able to attend, including, Hart Hall resident Sonali Kumar, were able to see the event, and felt that her culture was well represented.
The annual Hart Hall Global Awareness Conference affords members of the community the ability to come together to celebrate diversity.
