The International and Multicultural Exchange (TIME) held its first Multicultural Dinner on Sunday night from 6 to 8 p.m.

“The purpose of the Multicultural Dinner was to bring students of varying backgrounds together to celebrate and learn about different cultures in our community through food and trivia,” said second-year Anthony Nunnery, TIME’s public relations chair. Due to the success of the dinner, TIME plans to organize another one next year.

Held in the Excelsior Ballroom in the Thwing Center, the event gathered a crowd of students. By the time TIME staff started the event, the line of students waiting patiently to gain admittance stretched all the way down to the first floor of the building. As they were being admitted, students were given raffle tickets to use on prizes including a hammock, beauty supplies and a blanket. Inside the ballroom, students listened to cultural music while being served various foods by TIME members, before heading to a table. Once sitting, students could compete, as a table, in multicultural trivia. One of the questions was, “What state primarily makes up the Horn of Africa?” Winners received additional raffle tickets.

The Multicultural Dinner seemed perfectly emblematic of TIME’s mission.

“The mission of TIME,” Nunnery explained, “is to promote cultural diversity on campus through engagement in ethnically rich programs, to enhance members’ knowledge of various heritages and to work with other cultural organizations on campus to create a close-knit campus community open and understanding to each group’s differences.”

To achieve this goal, TIME often hosts cultural events which pair food with events and traditions. In the past, TIME organized a Hawaiian Luau night, a Vietnamese New Year’s celebration, a Bollywood themed Indian culture celebration, an Ethiopian New Year celebration and the Multicultural Mashup—an annual end of the year cultural celebration.

TIME’s second semester plans involve both new and old events.

According to Nunnery, “Our upcoming events for next semester will be for Black History Month, the Saint Joseph holiday, Multicultural Mashup and a smaller event in January.”

Nunnery has been a part of TIME since 2017 after his first-year resident assistant recruited him to join. Nunnery continued with the organization because he found its mission and its methods interesting and important.

Nunnery feels that TIME fills an important niche on Case Western Reserve University’s campus. Described by Nunnery as the “the difference between a flat or well-rounded secondary education,” TIME gives students the opportunity to explore different cultures outside of the classroom.

“Participation in TIME to me means accepting the challenge of making a space shared by many individuals from many backgrounds come alive in a way that emulates what home is to them,” added Nunnery. He also stressed that TIME is as inclusive as CWRU intends to be.

According to Nunnery, “TIME is open to any and all CWRU students,” so anyone who is interested in club activities or wants to join should register for the organization on CampusGroups or go to an event.

Nunnery and TIME have high hopes for what achieving their mission could do for CWRU.

“I have a belief that if this school was more unified in [its cultural inclusivity], then the atmosphere would change in a way that’s hard to imagine.”