PSU hosts Tastes and Sounds of Nations

International Education Week is a time that often shows that foreign students take academics seriously. But the culmination of the week, Tastes and Sounds of Nations, is a time to show the community that foreign students can have fun, too.
The International Student Association and PSU’s International Programs and Services hosted the annual culture night for a standing-room only crowd Friday night at Grubbs Hall.
And there was plenty of culture to go around.
Perhaps the night should have been called Tastes, Sounds and Sights of Nations, as there were plenty of dance forms to choose from, including Taiwanese pop, tango and salsa, swing dance, a Chinese dance and three forms of dance from India (Bollywood, Punjabi, bharatnatyam).
There were also plenty of tastes and sounds, too.
Before the performances started, representatives of several countries provided food from their native countries, including food from Malaysia, Paraguay, Cyprus, India, and several other countries.
As for sounds, students from Brazil, Paraguay and Malaysia played the piano, a pair of Chinese students sang, another student played the flute and another student performed a traditional Chinese opera.
“A night like tonight gives us a chance to showcase all of those cultures,” said Chuck Olcese, PSU director of international programs and services. “Throughout the year, we have culture-specific events, like Taste of Africa, Jordan Night, and others. A thing like this shows the broad mosaic of our international population. It’s nice to see.”
At Pittsburg State, there are more than 500 students from more than 40 different countries. That number could be growing. Olcese recently returned from a trip to India following a trip to Vietnam and Thailand with PSU President Dr. Steve Scott. Olcese said the response from that trip was strong enough for him to expect students from Vietnam arriving in the fall.
There are also more than 40 international faculty teaching at PSU, putting the education in International Education Week.
Cathy Lee Arcuino, PSU associate director of international programs and services, said the event is one of the highlights of the year for Pittsburg State’s international students.
“The International Student Association has had everything ready to go and done all the prep work,” Arcuino said. “They’ve done a wonderful job. There’s been a cooperation with all the groups to plan the performance schedule. Every time they are doing something on stage, they are so happy and smiling. It’s so nice to see that smiles are spreading.”

Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 132.