International Night pulls in large crowd

Six months of preparation paid off on Friday as students enjoyed an international variety of foods, learned about different cultures and watched dancers and singers display their heritage at PSU’s annual International Night.

The 31st International Night, put on by the Organization of International Students (OIS), took place on three floors of the Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU). Students ate ethnic meals in the cafeteria, visited booths representing many countries in the Multicultural Center, and watched dancers and musicians in the ballroom.

Preparations for the event began in winter term and there have been lots of people involved in the process, said Jill Townley, OIS advisor. There are six committees with over 100 volunteers that plan International Night.

“Its role is really an outreach to say ‘Hey these are the international students that you have at Portland State,'” Townley said. “They come from 80-plus countries, they are a great resource here. There is so much we can learn from them as well as the fact that they are also very talented.”

This is Townley’s 10th International Night, an event that she says she has seen grow from relatively small and unknown to the huge event it is today. Only about 200 students attended in 1997, but now over 700 people attend each year.

At International Night, students proudly displayed traditional clothing from their home countries whether they were performing or not. The DJ routinely called out the names of various countries throughout the night, and students responded with yells when their home countries were mentioned.

Portland State reports that it has about 1,200 international students. International Night is not only for them, but the entire community, Townley said.

“A lot of the students are on stage as well as fulfill a great leadership role here.” Townley said. “It’s a chance for them to show off their culture, be proud of who they are and also for a chance for the community to see who they are.”

Before the performances, seven local restaurants prepared meals from around the world, from Vietnam to Mexico. The line of people extended into the hall for samples of the food.

While the entertainment was happening on the SMSU Ballroom stage, other entertainers practiced their routines and frantically changed their clothes in makeshift changing rooms.

Not all the performances of the night went off smoothly. There were some technical difficulties, but when problems arose the crowd would cheer the performers on.

Julia Stecke, a performer who danced to Saudi Arabian music, said she enjoyed all of the performances and was impressed by how well organized the event was. Even with the trouble, she said she was happy with her performance.

“It actually turned out really good,” she said.

Townley said the night is about watching people work together and appreciating the rich diversity of the student population. She was impressed particularly with the volunteers.

“They are very dedicated, they are excited about the night, they work well together,” Townley said. “I have been really impressed this year in particular.”

Nobuko Kanno volunteered this year for the first time.

“I can see all the cultures that I don’t know and I can meet people from all over the world. That’s kind of cool,” Kanno said.

International Night, according to Townley, is about leaving cultural conflicts aside and learning about the world. Townley said that she was happy to see countries that historically have conflicts were able to work side by side. A Serbian booth was right next to a Bosnian one, she said, and Taiwanese and Chinese students worked closely together.

“It’s a night that we can look beyond the political conflict that’s happening and celebrate the fact that we have a lot in common and we have a lot of diversity as well to appreciate,” Townley said.