On Feb. 4 The International Multicultural Exchange (TIME) took over The Spot in Leutner Commons to celebrate “Tet,” the Vietnamese New Year, with traditional Vietnamese food and activities. TIME looked to promote diversity and unity while shedding some light on lesser represented cultures that some Case Western Reserve University students identify with. I had the opportunity to sit down with Public Relations Chair, Reggie Wimbley, and discuss the event and what TIME has planned for the rest of the semester as the group continues educating students on the cultures around them.

Aside from the Vietnamese New Year’s event, what other events has the cultural exchange put on?

TIME puts on events at least every month representing different cultures. We provide authentic food for FREE and research each culture extensively providing the information to students in a way that is easy to understand.  We had an event last October for Nigerian Independence day. In December we had a program for Saint Lucia’s day which is a winter feast celebrated in Scandinavian countries.  Our biggest event last semester was Bollywood Night which was a celebration of Indian culture.

How did the New Year’s event go?

The Vietnamese New Year celebration went really well. The attendance was amazing and everyone loved the food. We had it catered from Superior Pho, a local favorite. Also, due to the success of having the event in The Spot, we are looking to do more events in that location. One of the things we wish was improved upon was the reception of activities. We researched and planned fun activities similar to what Vietnamese people would do for New Year’s, but people seemed more interested in the food and less enthused by the activities.  

Did any other clubs contribute to the New Year’s event?

Sadly, we did not have anyone collaborate on the event with us this year.  If we do the program in the future we hope to reach out to the newly-formed Vietnamese Student Association. We try to collaborate on every event we can, for example for our Nigerian Independence Day celebration last November we worked with the Case African Student Association, which was great.

What are some upcoming events for the cultural exchange?

Actually, we have a Valentine’s Day event on Feb. 14. We will have cookies from Insomnia Cookies and have information about how Valentine’s Day in different parts of the world.  We will be tabling in Tink from noon-4 p.m., so stop on by.
Those that did not have the opportunity to go to the Vietnamese New Year’s celebration can check out TIME’s upcoming events and grab a cookie from the group in the Tinkham Veale University Center on Valentine’s Day for that special someone.