SPOKEN-WORD POETRY CONTEST CAPS DIVERSITY WEEK

A "Diversi-TEA" dessert social at the Multicultural Center this Friday, Oct. 21, will open Bryn Mawr's Diversity Week 2005-06 with an introduction to a broad range of campus cultural organizations and an almost-equally diverse array of treats. The celebration will culminate on Saturday, Oct. 29, in an open-mike, spoken-word poetry performance with a $150 prize for the top poet.

A significant change in Diversity Week this year is its dates: the student-organized series has occurred during the spring semester in previous years. But organizers of this year's series, which comprises 16 events, decided that an earlier Diversity Week would allow more time for community members to take advantage of its benefits.

"One of the main goals of Diversity Week is to introduce people to some of the campus cultural organizations in a context that encourages them to experiment with all kinds of diverse activities and cultures on campus," says Sheena Reed '08, a student assistant to the Office of Intercultural Affairs and coordinator of the week's events. "Introducing people to these groups earlier in the year gives people a chance to pursue interests that Diversity Week sparks and get involved on campus during the rest of the year."

Sponsored by the Association of Multicultural Organizations and the Office of Intercultural Affairs, this year's Diversity Week offers a full slate of films, lectures, discussions, food and dance demonstrations and, of course, parties. "We want people to experience something new – and have fun," says Reed.

A full schedule of events is available on the Office of Intercultural Affairs' Web site. Among the events listed:

• Screenings, followed by discussions, of films dealing with issues of race, sexuality and poverty, including Our Lives Translated, a documentary video created by members of Bryn Mawr's Asian Students' Organization


• Social events, some including traditional food and music, sponsored by the Bryn Mawr African and Caribbean Students' Organization, the Eastern European Students' Organization, Sisterhood and the Office of intercultural Affairs


• Speakers sponsored by the Body Image Council and the Whiteness Awareness Allies Group


• A demonstration of salsa dancing sponsored by Mujeres


• An interfaith celebration of Sukkot and Ramadan sponsored by the Muslim Students' Alliance and the Jewish Students' Alliance

Reed stresses that all the week's events are meant to be open and inclusive. "People shouldn't think that they can go to events or meetings sponsored by a particular group only if they think of themselves as sharing that group's identity," she says. "We hope Diversity Week will be an introduction to some new experiences and groups, but we also hope that people will maintain their interest in those groups throughout the year."

She's especially excited about the poetry slam that will close out the week. Working with a variety of student organizations, she is spreading the word about the open mike at Haverford, Swarthmore, Penn, Drexel and Temple, and she hopes that the $150 prize purse will draw a considerable crowd.

"We have some really talented spoken-word poets at Bryn Mawr," she says, "and they bring all sorts of different cultural experiences to their poetry. It will be great to introduce their work to a wider audience here."

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