Take advantage of global engagement opportunities in October

Contact: Raine Kuch
Parade of Nations participants holding flags.

WMU enrolls more than 1,850 international students from over 100 nations, and carrying their home country's flags down the field is a tradition before each homecoming football game.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University and the extended Kalamazoo community will offer numerous global engagement opportunities in October. Highlights include CELCIS conversation circles, events celebrating Hispanic Heritage and The Parade of Flags.

Unless otherwise indicated, events take place on the WMU Campus. Opportunities to get globally engaged are published weekly by WMU's Haenicke Institute for Global Education. 

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October 2018

Monday, October 1

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • Maria Erazo: Author in Search of my Father—6 to 7 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Public Library. Meet the author of "In Search of My Father," an inspirational biography that shares the struggles of a family amidst adversity and one woman’s dream. Free.
  • Multicultural Review—6 p.m. at the Bernhard Center, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The Multicultural Review is an event where students showcase their talents in poetry, reading, music, dance, and much more. Free.

Tuesday, October 2

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • How F.D.R Segregated Kalamazoo—6 to 7 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library Alma Powell Branch, 1000 W Paterson St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Public Library. Join us for a presentation and discussion about the history of redlining, racially restrictive covenants, and segregation in Kalamazoo. Learn how the federal government and the city of Kalamazoo successfully financed white home ownership while instituting black segregation. Free.
  • Pizza & Pages: Hispanic Heritage Month—6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W Main St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Public Library. We will be reading "I Am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter," by Erika Sánchez. Read it and come back to talk about it with pizza! Registration is required; free.

Wednesday, October 3

  • Pizza & Pages: Hispanic Heritage Month—6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library Washington Square Branch, 1244 Portage St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Public Library. We will be reading "I Am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter," by Erika Sánchez. Read it and come back to talk about it with pizza! Registration is required; free.

Thursday, October 4

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • "How Far Have We Come?" exhibit— 3:30 p.m. at the Trimpe Multicultural Center, hosted by the Center of Ethics in Society and facilitated by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Black History 101 Mobile Museum exhibit follow-up discussion. Free.

Saturday, October 6

  • Parade of Flags at the WMU Homecoming game—noon to 1 p.m. at Waldo Stadium, hosted by the Haenicke Institute of Global Education. The parade of flags is a colorful display of multicultural diversity on the WMU campus that has become an annual tradition that precedes the WMU Homecoming football game. The event will begin with a tailgate at Kanley Track at 8 a.m. Free. 
  • Great Stories Club: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas—4 to 6 p.m. at the Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative "Safe Space", 1249 Portage St., Kalamazoo, hosted by Kalamazoo Public Library and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. Join us for discussion of identity, social justice, and community, based around the remarkable book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Free. 
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Program 50th Anniversary Celebration—7 to 9 p.m. in the Bernhard Center East Ballroom, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This event will recognize fifty years of program success and bring alumni and current participants together to celebrate and reconnect. Admission is $45 per person; Registration required. 

Monday, October 8

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free .

Tuesday, October 9

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • ARTbreak talk: Global Glass: Art and Artists—noon to 1 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), 314 S Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the KIA. Laura Cotton, Curator and Gallery Manager at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, will discuss the art and artists that are featured in the Berkowitz glass collection. Free. 
  • Ladies Sports Club—2:30 to 3:30 at the Student Recreation Center, hosted by International Student Activities. Exercise with women from around the world through yoga, body strength training, and more. Classes will meet at 2:25 at the Student Recreation help desk prior to each meeting: Free. 
  • China Town Hall—6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids, hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. China Town Hall will include and interactive webcast with Condoleezza Ric, former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisory, and an in-person talk with Kaiser Kuo, Co-founder of Sinica Podcast. Free. 

Wednesday, October 10

  • "China: Current and Future Food Trends" lecture—Times TBA, held in the Lee Honors College lounge, hosted by the Lee Honors College. The talk will be led by Dr. Ann Veeck, Professor of Geography at WMU. Free.
  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • "Propaganda and the State" Research Briefs in Global Studies—4 to 5 p.m. in the Knauss Hall Humanities Center, hosted by the Global and International Studies Program. This talk will be led by Tom Kostrzewa and Anna Popkova about China's security campaigns. Free. 
  • With/Out Borders: Toward the Future, Land Opening Ceremony—6 p.m. at the Dalton Theater at Kalamazoo College, 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo College Arcus Center. Join us in welcoming global land activists to Kalamazoo! Free.

Thursday, October 11

  • With/Out Borders: Toward the Future, Community Breakfast—8 a.m. at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, 205 Monroe St.., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo College Arcus Center. Join us in welcoming global land activists to Kalamazoo! Free.
  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • RaceTalk Panel—5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Adrian Trimpe Multicultural Center, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Students will have the opportunity to listen to diverse human experiences that are similar and vastly different to their racial experience; additionally, this model provides opportunities to ask questions that students may not have felt comfortable enough to articulate about race before. Free.

Friday, October 12

  • Chinese Language Tables—noon to 1 p.m. in the Bernhard Center lower-level dining area, hosted by the Confucius Institute at WMU. Chinese Language Table's offer a free opportunity  to practice Chinese skills by easy conversations  and interesting activities. Free.

Saturday, October 13

  • Great Stories Club: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas—4 to 6 p.m. at the Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative "Safe Space", 1249 Portage St., Kalamazoo, hosted by Kalamazoo Public Library and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. Join us for discussion of identity, social justice, and community, based around the remarkable book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Free. 

Monday, October 15

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Tuesday, October 16

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Thursday, October 18

  • Fall Lecture Series: Oman—7 to 8:15 p.m. in the Grand Valley University, Seidman College of Business Multi-purpose Room, 50 Front Ave, SW Grand Rapids, hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. This talk about Oman will be led by Dr. Fahad Bishara from the University of Virginia. Free. 

Saturday, October 20

  • Great Stories Club: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas—4 to 6 p.m. at the Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative "Safe Space", 1249 Portage St., Kalamazoo, hosted by Kalamazoo Public Library and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. Join us for discussion of identity, social justice, and community, based around the remarkable book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Free. 

Monday, October 22

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Tuesday, October 23

  • ARTbreak Talk: Japanese Contemporary Ceramics—noon to 1 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), 314 S Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the KIA. Ceramist Julie Devers will discuss the works and artists featured in the exhibition The Way Forward and how today's artists have adhered to and adapted the traditional Japanese aesthetic for a contemporary audience. Free.
  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • Ladies Sports Club—2:30 to 3:30 at the Student Recreation Center, hosted by International Student Activities. Exercise with women from around the world through yoga, body strength training, and more. Classes will meet at 2:25 at the Student Recreation help desk prior to each meeting: Free. 

Wednesday, October 24

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • Seeking Access, Togetherness and Meaning, interactive presentation—3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Adrian Trimpe Multicultural Center, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the WMU College Assistance Migrant Program. Campus community members will discuss their experiences with migrant farm work, family, and college access. Free. 
  • "Invisible Salt and Urban Dead Seas: Who is Responsible?" talk—4 p.m. at the Bernhard Center Room 157-159, hosted by the Center for the Study of Ethics, the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Talk will be led by Carla Koretsky, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Free
  • Fall Lecture Series: Qatar—7 to 8:15 p.m. in the Grand Valley University, Seidman College of Business Multi-purpose Room, 50 Front Ave, SW Grand Rapids, hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. This talk about Qatar will be led by the U.S Ambassador for Qatar, Chase Untermeyer (ret.). $15 per event or $30 for series pass. 

Thursday, October 25

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • Light Lecture: Considering Contemporary Chinese Art in a Global Context—6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), 314 S Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the KIA. China's growing prominence on the world stage has had a profound effect on the development of the country's arts and culture. Michelle Yun, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Asia Society, New York, will discuss trends in contemporary Chinese art. Price included with museum admission.

Sunday, October 28

  • "The Way Forward-Asian Works" Sunday tour—2 to 3 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), 314 S Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the KIA. We seek and acquire new works to expand not just our holdings, but our understanding and appreciation of the culture of the American experience, along with global perspectives of life from around the world. Included with museum admission.

Monday, October 29

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Tuesday, October 30

  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.
  • "Tn the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S Global Power," ethics book club—4 p.m. at Water Street Coffee Joint, 3037 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, hosted by the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society. Dr. William Santiago-Valles, WMU associate professor emeritus of Africana studies, will be leading discussions of Alfred McCoy's novel. Free: Registration required. 
  • "Race and Education in in America" Community meeting—6 p.m. at Miller Auditorium, hosted by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Talk will be given by Nikole Hannah-Jones, author, investigative journalist and MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow. Free; registration required.  

Wednesday, October 31

  • Fulbright Abroad Speaker Series—noon to 1 p.m. in 3120 Sangren Hall, hosted by the Global and International Studies Program. Dr. Jim Butterfield will discuss his experience in  Vietnam teaching students, give an overview of Vietnam today and discuss how it worked to combine a sabbatical with a Fulbright grant. Free.
  • CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth Hall, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

 For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.