The University of Memphis has a diverse student body, and Project Unite Week is an opportunity for students of all backgrounds to come together and learn about their different cultures.
Project Unite Week, sponsored by the Student Government Association, kicked off its fifth year with the Hispanic Student Associations’ salsa night Tuesday at Rivers Edge.
Lisa Vescovo, vice president of SGA, is spearheading this year’s events.
“The campus is pretty much a commuter school, and unless you’re involved in student organizations, you don’t really go to anything,” Vescovo said. “We have picnics and different nights for the different organizations like salsa night or the dance. It brings a lot of people on campus that don’t usually get involved and allows them to get involved with something.”
Approximately 500 students and faculty members gathered for a Unity Picnic under perfect weather Wednesday on the University Center lawn. Free hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks were served under a large tarp, and picnic tables were provided for a sunny afternoon lunch. The picnic ended without a crumb left behind.
“I think it’s good for The University to have events like this,” said Sonya White, U of M junior accounting major. “It helps to bring students of different cultures together.”
Members of the faculty went out to enjoy the food and sunshine as well. William Porter, assistant vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students, is the advisor for SGA.
“One of the great traditions that we’ve had for the last several years on campus is Unite Week and a number of different activities,” Porter said. “We are a very diverse campus. I think one of the great things about this campus is its diversity in the student body. It creates a lot of learning opportunities, but you do have to bring people together to do that. Unity Week is a great way to do that. It acknowledges that we are a very diverse campus but also expresses the kind of things that bring us together.”
The Annual Unity Masquerade Ball will be Friday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The U of M Holiday Inn. There will be free food and t-shirts for participants, and the winners of the election for Student Government will be announced.
“It’s a big hoo-rah to end the week,” Vescovo said. “We don’t really have dances or anything, so we have the Unity Ball so students that aren’t Greek get the chance to go to a formal and get that aspect of college. It’s also a good opportunity for students to come and see who will be in charge of their student government next year.”
There will be an International Student Night Saturday with a deejay and traditional and non-traditional dance and singing performances from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Fogelman Executive Center, room 136. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for the general public.
