Event cultivates multiculturalism

Indiana has not always been the center of cultural tolerance and diversity. The Ku Klux Klan was started in a small town in northern Indiana many years ago. Two years ago this past summer, a Korean graduate student was killed in Bloomington by a member of a hate group. Since this incident, the Bloomington community both on and off-campus have pulled together to celebrate the diverse group of people that make up the town and college community. People have worked hard to make Bloomington a place where all people feel safe and welcome.\nMuch of the diversity stems from the student body. Nearly 9 percent of the 37,076 students that attended IU last year were part of a minority. IU is home to Blacks, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and students from many foreign countries and countless other minority groups. This week the university will celebrate this diversity with freshmen during the second annual CultureFest, a welcome week event that will give incoming freshmen a look at some of the many cultural experiences available on campus. \nThe event, which last year drew more than 1500 students, will start with a speech from Kevin Powell, a former MTV "Real World" cast member and current personality on BET. Afterward, students will go outside to get a chance to experience the food, music and art of various different cultures. So, while this is not a complete overview of every culture, it gives students some exposure and insight into different worlds than they might be used to.\nFor many students attending IU, they are used to coming from a neighborhood or town that is mostly similar to them in race and color. While IU is not exactly diversity at its finest, events such as CultureFest do a great job of exposing the students on this campus to all the cultures they might not have experienced while growing up. So, any exposure like this better prepares a person for the real world and how things are.\nSo don't pass this event off as just another "Welcome Week" workshop. Use this as the start, or continuation, of your cultural experience and apply it to the next four years. College is a time for trying new things and broadening your horizons, and events like CultureFest are just the thing to do that.