Every day, Case Western Reserve University undergraduate student leaders work diligently behind the scenes to make our campus more welcoming to the various identities in our community. To showcase their efforts, the Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative (UDC) hosted their flagship World Expo event on Sunday, Oct. 8, celebrating the community-building that many of our students partake in outside of their academics. Over 35 student organizations, largely UDC- and USG-affiliated, tabled in the Thwing Atrium and Ballroom and displayed their events and accomplishments in a Monopoly-themed event.
The UDC organizers started off the event with free World Expo tote bags at the sign-in table. But that was not the only giveaway I encountered—the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in STEM (SACNAS) table held a squishmallow raffle, there were UDC t-shirts in Thwing 101 and most tables had candy or other tasty treats. I spent much of the event sampling foods from around the world, from Mexican tamarind candies at the UWC@CWRU table to Indian soan papdi at the Undergraduate Indian Students Association (uISA) table.
Of course, in between snacking on delicious treats, I learned a lot about the different cultures and advocacy happening on campus. I met with leaders of the African-American Society, which is the oldest Black student organization on campus, and the Filipino Student Union, which connects Filipino students to their heritage through activities like lumpia-making. Several clubs, such as Know Your Neighbors and the Underrepresented Minority Women in STEM Club, seek to connect the Case Western Reserve community to the Greater Cleveland area and bring students out of the “CWRU bubble.” Others, like the Minority Association for Premedical Students, the Latino Medical Student Association and the National Society of Black Engineers, focus on equipping minorities with the tools they need to find success in fields that historically lack diversity.
When asked about their favorite part of World Expo, multiple students brought up the intersectionality of issues that the student groups are passionate about. Both the CWRU chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and the American Sign Language Club focus on bringing awareness to the deaf community and emphasize the universality of communication. CWRU Nadaam, an Indian classical music organization, highlights music’s significance in all cultures, which is something that the Cheza Nzuri dance team and uISA, along with many other clubs, also promote through their clubs’ music-oriented events. Since so many organizations overlap in their values and goals, the World Expo was the perfect place to bring them all together.
Even when organizations did not overlap, the enthusiasm and room for learning that attendees displayed was exciting. One Cheza Nzuri dancer commented on how excited non-African students were to come play their dancing game. Many students brought up how they first enjoyed the complementary Turkish tea and baklava at the Turkish Student Association table but stuck around to learn more about their culture. For many UDC organizations, there is no requirement to identify with whichever religious, ethnic or gender background the club represents—we are all here to learn.
More than just the posters, the food, the games and the music, the people and their eagerness to share ideas were what made this event such a success. The World Expo was both entertaining and informative, and hearing about the various causes that students are passionate about—and actively advocating for—filled me with a sense of pride. As a member of The Sisterhood commented, “Diversity is not just making sure everyone is there, and not just that everyone is represented, but that they are adequately represented.” I look forward to seeing more World Expos in the years to come, as UDC continues to bring more student voices to the table and work towards representation in every corner of our campus.
