Last Sunday, The Villanova Room was plastered with flags of different countries and there were students dressed in various national costumes. All these hints revealed that a multicultural event was taking place.
“UNITY— Travel Around the World” was a cultural festival organized by the Villanova International Student Organization (VISO). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, VISO has not held the event since 2019. Last year, the slogan “Bring Back UNITY” was introduced, and VISO’s executive board was reinvigorated to host the event. Finally, after months of hard work by VISO members, UNITY returned to campus on Oct. 22, 2023.
UNITY’s launch was not smooth. At the beginning of the semester, the club suffered from a shortage of staff. The problem eased after the involvement fair in September. Additionally, VISO’s previous activities had been hampered by a lack of funding. This was where the Treasury Department came into play. UNITY secured sponsorship from six campus organizations prior to the event. These efforts enriched the later planning by the executive board.
For the goal of increasing UNITY’s impact, the e-board members went out in all force. The Marketing Department was responsible for designing posters, awards and a series of promotional efforts on social media. The Career Development Department was responsible for the management of the email-list and the editing of the newsletter. The Special Events Department was responsible for the wider details of the cultural festival. Simran, the president of VISO, said her favorite part of the preparation process was that the e-board had contacted at least eight performers within a month, seven of whom were confirmed to show up.
“It’s very efficient.” Simran, as president and general planner of the event, acknowledged the competence of the e-board members.
Of course, the most important part was the sale of tickets. Tickets were originally priced at $12, but were reduced to $10 during the sale. “We sold about 153 tickets, this is a great job,” Simran announced excitedly after the event.
Finally, after intense planning, the cultural festival opened at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22. After checking in, students were able to point out their hometowns on the world map and experience their names written in different languages, with several international students acting as calligraphers. In the show, VISO designed four sections for the different cultural attributes of the performers: Korean, Irish, Vietnamese, Latin American and Indian. University President Rev. Peter M. Donahue, O.S.A, Ph.D. also came to the event, and everyone welcomed him warmly. After the show, all audience members and performers walked to Curley Exchange to enjoy food from Jamaica, Vietnam and India.
As the co-president of VISO’s Marketing Department, I understand the impact of this event. For me, UNITY is an extraordinary chance to get exposed to cultures of different countries. Also, UNITY is a platform for students with different backgrounds to get involved. With Villanova University’s increased visibility in authoritative rankings such as U.S. News and World Report, the percentage of international students on campus has increased over the last several years. Over the past few years, the total number of international students on campus has grown by an average of 4.4%. The desire to create a diverse community on campus has grown rapidly. Being the only organization at the University that serves all international students, VISO has a sense of responsibility to connect the international students and cultural groups. VISO members are hoping that this year’s UNITY event will be a good reboot, bringing together students from different cultures in the Villanova community.
