A look into Mason's 2013 International Week

The start to International Week is marked by an opening ceremony and a parade of flags around campus (photo by Connect2Mason.com).

Hot on the heels of Pride Week, George Mason University will host International Week – a weeklong series of events that aim to celebrate the diversity of Mason students and faculty. From Monday, April 8 to Friday, April 12, there will be dozens of events on the Fairfax campus that help remind students of their membership in a global community.

International week will kick off with the traditional opening ceremony and parade on April 8 in the Johnson Center atrium. As many Mason students know, the JC will be draped with flags from almost every country, indicating the start of the celebrations. The main attraction will be the bagpipe-led parade of students and flags across campus. All students are invited to participate in the parade, with or without a flag.

The International Dance Competition is one of the highlights of each year's International Week where students prepare traditional dances from a variety of countries (photo by Connect2Mason).

Perhaps the most anticipated event of the week is the International Dance Competition, which will take place at noon on Tuesday. This ticketed event will feature nine dance teams that are supported by various international clubs on campus. Last year’s winner, the Indian Student Association, and the runner up, the Afghan Student Union, will be competing among many others. The event will also be broadcasted live by Mason Cable Network.

Each night of the week there will be a “Culture Night” hosted by various student associations. These events are a fun way to sample the different cuisines, learn about the traditions involved with the cultures and meet new people. Wednesday night will be the busiest Culture Night of the week, with three events: Israeli/Jewish Culture Night, Iranian & Afghan Culture Night and South Asian Culture Night.

Although many of the events aim to celebrate individual cultures, there is also a conscious effort to include more serious topics into the dialogue with events such as an immigration workshop and a lecture on global conservation. Hosted by Amnesty International’s Mason chapter, Thursday afternoon the annual International Human Rights Festival will take place at the North Plaza. Several human rights organizations will be in attendance to educate students about their work in the community. There will also be various volunteer and internship opportunities for students to apply for.

The week draws to a close on Friday with the International Dinner Dance. This year the cuisine will yield from four regions: Ethiopia, Georgia, Morocco, and Thailand. There will be performances by a variety of international artists and the winning team from Tuesday’s dance competition will also perform. This is a ticketed event, with an admission fee of $5 for students.

A complete list of all the events and lectures can viewed here.