by Sohale Vu '07

After months of planning, participation and support by students and faculty alike, Hampden-Sydney College has established its first ever International House. The International House was established to encourage cultural awareness among its student body as part of the Quality Enhancement Program.

With such diversity found not only on our campus but the world, the school saw it important that the graduates of Hampden-Sydney College were prepared to face such diversity in their future workplaces and communities. The new “living and learning” facility is step one in an ever growing process of encouraging cultural awareness on campus. Other such proposals and plans for increasing awareness among students are the establishment of language houses around campus and setting up a multicultural center in the Eggleston Library once the new library has been built and settled into. All of these plans will hopefully follow in the success that the International House has had in its first weeks of life.

On September 13, 2006, the residents of the new International House threw their open house banquet for students and faculty members come and enjoy the unique international foods and begin to get a feel for the new establishment. The open house was wildly successful. With almost a hundred people attending, the International House open house was able to cater to the interested student body and faculty on this new road towards cultural awareness on campus. Hosted by both the International Club and Spanish Club, the residents of the International House fed their guest delicacies from around the world to give them a taste of flavors that they would only find by traveling to experience other cultures. On the menu of the open buffet was

Burmese Chicken curry
Joje kebob (Persian chicken kebob)
Koobideh (Persian beef kebob)
Spanish rice and beans
Basmati Rice with sumac
Musta Khiar (Yogurt with cucumbers)
Momo’s (traditional Tibetan Dumplings)
Baklava

By the closing of the festivities which had lasted from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, the students at the International House were cleaned out of all of their foods and were graciously thanked by their guests for the meals and initiatives for making the International House possible in fulfilling the first steps of the Quality Enhancement Program. Hopefully in the future, students and faculty will be able to come to the International House again to share the same joys in culturing themselves of the traditions and tastes of the rich diversity the Hampden-Sydney College’s own student body has to offer.

October 2006