World Fair Showcased At BU

Showcasing a variety of cultural groups from across the globe, World Fair 2002 celebrated the food and customs of people around the world Friday at the George Sherman Union.

The celebration was small, but the groups aimed to provide Boston University students with knowledge of the many cultures on campus. While Student Activities Office spokesman Eric Miller said the festival is usually centered around the many cultural organizations on campus, many other student groups on campus asked to perform.

“While we market the event to cultural groups, a number of other organizations asked to appear at the event,” Miller said. “For instance, the Ballroom Dancing club at BU asked to perform a Latin dance routine.”

Set amid dancing and food, students manned their tables and hoped to gain student interest in a number of projects currently being planned.

The International Students of Hospitality Association, which recently became a recognized organization at BU, was looking for student interest, said Mike Pereira, a freshman in the School of Hospitality Administration.

“Our organization is new and not well known by the students on campus, so we are here at the cultural festival for networking and to get the word out,” Pereira said. “We have a number of new events that we are looking for students to take part in.”

Another group that hoped to spread interest in its upcoming events was the Caribbean Club. The club is involved with the World Fair each year.

“The Caribbean Club has lots of culture, and we’d like more people to come out and diversify our club because we believe every race exists and should be recognized,” said Ilka Alcantara, a College of Communication junior.

Other clubs featured at the event include The Filipino Group, Sisters United at BU, Hillel House and various international students associations.