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Culture Shock Events Held Feb. 9-11 at SMSU

Published Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Culture Shock Event
Culture Shock Event

The eighth annual Culture Shock will be held February 9-11, 2017 at Southwest Minnesota State University. This year’s theme is “Cultural Competency: Becoming a More Inclusive Campus.”

Formerly a one-day event, this year’s Culture Shock has been expanded into a three-day festival of education and entertainment.

Charles McKinney will be the featured guest speaker on Thursday, Feb. 9. McKinney is the Neville Frierson Bryan Chair of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of History at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. He will speak 12-1 p.m. and 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Conference Center (CC) Lower Level.

McKinney is the author of Greater Freedom: The Evolution of the Civil Rights Struggle in Wilson, North Carolina, a work that sheds light on the dynamic interplay between black agency and white repression, the viability of building a movement in the rural South, and the evolving nature of social change in the middle of the 20th century.

A climate panel discussion from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, will feature SMSU President Dr. Connie J. Gores, Provost Dwight C. Watson, and VP of Enrollment Management and Student Success Robert Forget. Director of Diversity and Inclusion Jay Lee will moderate the discussion in Charter Hall 201.

Several ethnic clubs and organizations will speak about variety of topics throughout the day on Friday, Feb. 10. Presentations include:

  • United as One - Diversity Soccer Club
  • Treaty Challenges of 2017 and Beyond – Oyate Club
  • Seeking Opportunities – Karen Community
  • Understanding of Islam – Muslim Student Association
  • Development of the Hmongs – Hmong Student Organization
  • Misconception of Black Lives Matter & the Effects on African Americans – Black Student Union

A banquet and fashion show will conclude the Culture Shock event on Saturday, Feb. 11. The banquet will feature ethnic food prepared by SMSU students. Please register for the banquet at www.smsu.edu/go/AOS.

All events are free and open to the public.

Culture Shock 2017 is sponsored by the Black Student Union, Hmong Student Organization, History Club, Access, Opportunity and Success, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Muslim Student Association, Oyate Club, UGLYS, Diversity Soccer Club, Club Latino, SMSU, Karen Community, and P.L.A.C.E.

For more information, contact the Access, Opportunity and Success office at 507-537-6169, Michele Knife Sterner, Michele.Sterner@SMSU.edu, or Zoua Pa Vue at Zouapa.Vue@my.SMSU.edu

 

The schedule of events includes:

Thursday, Feb. 9
12:00-1:00 p.m. “The Utter Necessity of Black History” by Charles McKinney, Conference Center (CC) Lower Level.
Charles McKinney is the Neville Frierson Bryan Chair of Africana Studies and an Associate Professor of History at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
3:00-5:00 p.m. Climate Panel Discussion, Charter Hall 201.
Featuring: President Gores, Provost Watson, and VP Forget with Moderator: Jay Lee
6:00-7:30 p.m. Charles McKinney: “Stony the Road We Trod: The Hard, Jagged Path to Equality and Liberation,” CC Lower Level

Friday, Feb. 10
12:00-1:00 p.m. Career Services Presentation, Conference Center Upper Level.
Students will learn about career related resources: LinkedIn, resumes, cover letters, networking, professional dress, career fair preparation, and connecting with employers.
Students who attend this session are strongly encouraged to attend Career Services’ event: “Mustangs Meetup: Coffee and Careers” on Feb 22.

Presentations by SMSU Student Organizations:
1:30-2:30 p.m. “United as One” Diversity Soccer Club, CC Upper Level
3:00-3:45 p.m. “Treaty Challenges of 2017 and Beyond” Oyate, Student Center (SC) 207
4:30-5:00 p.m. “Seeking Opportunities” Karen Community members, CC Lower Level
5:15-5:45 p.m. “Understanding of Islam” Muslim Student Association, CC Lower Level
BREAK
6:30-7:15 p.m. “Development of the Hmongs” Hmong Student Organization, CC Lower Level
7:15-7:45 p.m. “Misconception of Black Lives MATTER & The Effects on African Americans” Black Student Union, CC Lower Level

Saturday, Feb. 11
5:00-5:30 p.m. Social
5:30-6:30 p.m. Banquet featuring ethnic food prepared by SMSU students (Free event, RSVP at www.smsu.edu/go/AOS)
6:30-7:30 p.m. Entertainment with Opening Remarks by Michele Sterner and Zoua Pa Vue
7:30-8:00 p.m. Fashion Show featuring student performers

All events are free & open to the public. 

Please RSVP for the FREE Banquet at www.smsu.edu/go/AOS

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