Current Events
International Education:
News
International Education:
Welcoming Ceremony
View the January IEC Welcoming Ceremony, and see all those who attended.
Welcome Back Picnic
On August 30th, the International Education Center welcomed back the international students with a picnic. The picnic began at 4pm and was held in the Harvest Chapel. It was a good time for all who attended, and allowed the students to catch up with old friends as well as start new relationships.
 International Education Week
International Education week was held September 4th through September 7th of 2012. It was an event filled week that educated the student body about studying abroad and cultures from around the world. Two events that occurred this week were a Brazilian Dinner and a Keynote speaker, Chris Bashinelli. The Brazilian Dinner was at 5pm on Wednesday, September 5th. Brazilian delicacies were served. It was a lot of fun for all who attended, and many students learned about the Brazilian culture through the foods that they tasted at the dinner. Also, on Wednesday, September 5th, Chris Bashinelli spoke of the impact that studying abroad had on his life. His inspirational life story left both students and staff excited to help others and to learn more about other cultures and studying abroad.
La Tomatina
 On September 15, 2012, La Tomatina was celebrated by the campus of Fredonia. It was an event that was sponsored by Latino Unidos and the International Education Center. It was a very lively event that left everyone who attended with smiles on their faces. Many people enjoyed the dunk tank, raffles, and especially the tomato fight. There was also music by DJ Big Rob and performances by Much More Chill.
Internship Workshops
On Wednesday, October 3rd, October 10th, and October 17th, internship workshops were held by the Career Development office in the Williams Center. The motto of this event was "Dream it. Do it. Love it." By attending, one could have learned to get internship and job opportunities, to make a cover letter and resume, and to prepare for an interview. It was a great opportunity that the people involved took full advantage of. They prepared students for the future by teaching them the skills that they will need to fulfill their dreams. It was a great event to have been a part of.
Remembering Cuba
On the evenings of Thursday, October 4th and Friday, October 5th, Dr. Andrea O'Reilly Herrera came to SUNY Fredonia to celebrate Cuban Diasporic Art and Literature with our campus. It was a free event that was open to the public. Her first presentation was held at the S204A Williams Center. It was a fantastic presentation called "Three Women Reside Within Me." On her second night of presenting in the Japanese Garden at the Reed Library, Herrera presented "Cuban Artists Across the Diaspora: Setting the Tent Against the House." This presentation featured artist Raul Villarreal.
International Education Fall Break Picnic
On Thursday, October 11th, the International Education Center (IEC) held a picnic for international students. Everyone gathered at Starbucks at 11 am and walked over as a group to Russel Joy Park. It was a fun filled day. Many games, like kickball, kan Jam, tennis, and basketball were enjoyed by the participants. Also, free food was shared with everybody that attended.
Ping-Pong Competition
 The Chinese Club held a ping-pong competition in Chautauqua Hall on Saturday, October 27th. There were free candies handed out to all of the participants and prizes for the top three winners. Fun was had by all who attended.
Ushpizin Movie
 On Wednesday, November 7th, the Hillel group presented the movie Ushpizin in McEwen 209. It started at 7pm. The movie was in Hebrew, but it did have English subtitles. It was a great movie to watch. Everyone who attended had a great time. The popcorn was also very scrumptious.
International Students Incorporated (ISI) Thanksgiving Dinner
 On Saturday, November 10th, a Thanksgiving dinner was held for the international students at the Harvest Chapel. It started at 4:30pm and dinner was served at 5:15pm. Before dinner, there were games to play, such as turkey bowling, a cranberry relay, and pin the wattle on the turkey. They were very unique and a lot of fun for anyone who participated in them. There were also more conventional games, like board games and card games if one didn't want to participate in the wild Thanksgiving games. Thanks to the volunteers at the Harvest Chapel everyone enjoyed a very delicious dinner. There was turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and much, much more. It was a great chance to get to know new people and/or enjoy an amazing dinner and fun time with friends. Everyone left with good memories and smiles on their faces.
A big thanks to the volunteers and the Harvest Chapel for supplying the place and the food for the event!
Cruise Around the World
On Wednesday, November 14, 2012, all of the residence hall dormitories held an event called Cruise Around the World. Every hall selected a country and did a short educational presentation on and/or provided food from the country that they chose. It was a fun time for everyone who participated, and it was a good chance to learn about other countries.
Holiday Open House
On Saturday, December eighth from 6:00pm to 7:30pm, there was a holiday open house on 194 Central Avenue for international students. The students were able to celebrate the holiday with president Virginia Schaefer Horvath. Everyone who attended said that they had a great time and wish to attend again next year.
International Student Orientation
The international student orientation started on January 22, 2013 and ended on January 25, 2013. The students were given tours of the campus, taken to Wal*Mart, and greeted during a welcome ceremony on the twenty second. The twenty third was a day full of presentations that students could attend. Some of the presentations were about immigration, banking, computer access, the learning center, and writing assessments. The twenty fourth held more presentations such as the health center presentation and the FRED card presentation. The last day was filled with a few more presentations and some fun activities for the students to attend. Two of the activities were a women's basketball game versus Potsdam and an optional open skate. Overall, it was a fun couple of days, and the students learned a lot about Suny Fredonia.
Bowling
On Sat urday, February 2nd, at 7:30pm the International Education Center and InterVarsity held a bowling event at Lucky Lanes. Many people attended and had a blast! Everyone who went said that they had a lot of fun and would love to do it again next year.
Chinese New Year Dinner
 The Chinese New Year was celebrated on Saturday, February 9, 2013. Everyone who attended had a blast! It was held in the Multipurpose room. Games began at 5:30pm and dinner was served at 6:00pm.
Slush Rush
 On Sunday, March 3, 2013, at 9:00am, the International Education Center held the fifth annual Slush Rush. The race was a 5k that started and ended outside of Dods Hall. The overall race winner for the males was Geoffrey Lesch Wragge with a time of 16:29 and for the females was Amy Corbran with a time of 21:25. For more information on the winners of specific age groups, go to the Slush Rush page and click on the Slush Rush 2013 winners link. After the race, all of the racers and volunteers met back at the Multipurpose room in the William Center for breakfast sandwiches and warm drinks. There was also a raffle. Some of the prizes that were won were a Fredonia hoodie, a Fredonia umbrella, one free week of tanning from Hot Bodies Family Tanning Center, one month free membership card from Darwin's Health Club, one free month of tanning from Tanning Bed, a free one hour massage from Fredonia Massage Therapy, a free trip to New York City from D&F Travel Inc., and a dozen roses from Fresh and Fancy Flowers.The proceeds of the race went to scholarships for international students.
The International Education Center would just like to thank the guys from Delta Chi, the girls from Sigma Kappa, and our other volunteers for their time and all of our sponsors for donating. We would also like to thank all who ran. We hope that you had fun time and that you are planning on joining us again next year!
Korean International Student Society (KISS) Dinner
The dinner was held on Sunday, March 17, 2013 in the Multipurpose room of the Williams Center. The doors opened at 6:00pm and dinner was served at 6:45pm. Before dinner, there were speakers from the KISS organization that explained what the food was and why there were specific decorations on each table. Yee Nah, the organization's president, explained that the dessert we would be having, a Half-moon rice cake, is traditionally served only on special holidays like Thanksgiving. This was a treat for everyone that attended. There were two types of this rice cake; one was green, which was a little bit tarter than the other one, which was white and very sweet.
The whole dinner was very delicious, and everyone was very welcoming and friendly. When people were not eating the delicious food, one could hear laughing and talking. To eat the food everyone was given chopsticks because they are the normal utensil used in Korea. But, for those who could not get the hang of the chopsticks, there were also forks and knives at every placement. The dinner accommodated vegetarians as well. There were five main dishes that were vegetarian friendly, and all of the side dishes were vegetarian friendly, except the fishcake.
The most notable difference between American food and Korean food is that Korean food is much spicier. Almost every dish that was served had a sort of a spicy kick to it. Also, foods that were introduced to us as salty during the beginning introduction, did not seem that salty compared to a hamburger or french fries. This was a great experience for everyone that attended. If you could not make it this year, we hope that you will be able to next year. This is surely an experience that one would not want to miss!
International Students Inaugurated into Tau Sigma
On March 9, 2013 in the Williams Center room G103, the following international students were recognized as the newest members of Tau Sigma from the transfer class of Spring and Fall 2012: (The students are depicted in the picture to the right of their names.)
Eunna Huh
Do Woo Kim
So Rhyn Kim
Seungju Lee
Yoonjung Noh
Soo In Park
Eunyoung Seo
Jin Wook Shin
Washington, D.C. Trip!!!
 Over spring break 2013, the International Education Center hosted a trip to Washington, D.C. The trip included a round trip ticket from Buffalo to Washington, D.C., a hotel, a day tour of Washington, D.C., and a private tour of the United States Capitol Building. Also, attractions such as the Smithsonian Museums, the National Archives, the Lincoln memorial, the national mall, the World War II memorial, Ford's Theatre, the Peterson House, the Reflecting Pool, and the Washington monument were seen. Whether or not the group gets saw all of these attractions depended on the preferred itinerary of the group. The total cost of the trip was $500.00, but only $150.00 was due by February 19, 2013 before 11:00am. This first reservation cost needed to be paid online. This trip was worth a good chunk of change and it was completely worth it! We had eighteen students to go!
International Student Visitors
 From March 4, 2013 until March 23, 2013, SUNY Fredonia hosted sixteen Japanese students from Aichi Prefecture University. They sat in on some classes that they wanted to audit along with eating in the dining halls and staying on campus in Hemingway Hall. They were very interested in learning about our university and some even want to return!
International Easter Egg Hunt
 On Sunday, April seventh, the International Education Center hosted an Easter egg hunt with candies from all around the world! The hunt began at 2:30pm and took place outside of LoGrasso Hall. It was a free event that all who attended enjoyed. The eggs were filled with candies from South Korea, China, America, Canada, Turkey, and Taiwan. The International Education Center would like to thank the co-sponsers for their help in putting on this event: Chinese Club, Turkish Association, and KISS.
Susanna Zaraysky
On April 10th, French Club (L'Alliance Des Amis Français) hosted polyglot Susanna Zaraysky. Susanna has studied ten (10) languages and speaks seven (7) fluently. Ms. Zaraysky was on campus giving three different presentations. Her first presentation was at 3:00pm speaking about a documentary that she co-produced, Saved by Language, on the subject of a Jewish boy who escaped the Holocaust due to his ability to speak Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). Her 4:00pm presentation was about the importance of being multilingual in the job market. Susanna's final presentation, and her highlight presentation, was held at 8:00pm. This presentation was "How to Learn Foreign Languages through Music and Media." All presentations were FREE to everyone and were held in Jewett Hall 101. Many groups and departments helped to co-sponsor this event. Read her full article on Fredonia's website.
Meera Sinroja
 Congratulations to Meera Sinroja for competing as one of the top 6 dancers in the "So You Think You Can Dance Fredonia" contest on Sunday, April 7th.
Amish Country And Seneca Indian Reservation Trip
On Saturday, April 13th, International Students, Inc. (ISI) organized a trip to Amish Country and Seneca Indian Reservation. Rides were provided from Williams Center at 10:45am and the students were back by 5:15pm. The trip included a soup lunch at Sylvi Taylor’s home near Gowanda, a visit to the Seneca Indian Museum in Salamanca, and a tour through Amish country, including stops at several authentic Amish stores and shops. The Amish are a group of people who, for religious reasons, live a very simple life, without automobiles (they use horse and buggy) and without electricity. Everyone who went enjoyed themselves and learned a lot about another culture.
Israeli Independence Day
On Monday, April 15th, the International Education Center and Hillel co-sponsored Israeli Independence Day! It was held in the Amphitheatre at 7:00pm. There was face painting, music, and "Gaga," which is an Israeli ball game. Everyone who participated had a lot of fun!
Turkish Association Dinner
On Wednesday, April 17th the Turkish Association held their first Turkish Dinner. It was a very successful event. The dinner was held in the Horizon Room of the William’s Center, which had to be expanded due to the quantity of people that were expected to attend. Approximately one-hundred and ten people were present at the dinner. This was a very large turn-out since it was the Turkish Association’s first scheduled dinner. One of these guests was the President of SUNY Fredonia, Dr. Virginia Schaefer Horvath.
All who attended were welcomed and immersed in Turkish culture from the moment that they arrived. This was done through video clips about Turkey, a welcoming speech from the Turkish Association’s president and founder, Mr. Erdinc Masat, and an opening speech from the Turkish Association’s advisor, Dr. Ziya Arnavut. While guests were waiting to be seated, two video clips, both named “Istanbul Timeless City,” played. Both clips are able to be found on YouTube under the given name. Then, while people were being seated a Turkey Introduction video clip played. These clips allowed those who attended but did not know much about Turkey to begin to get an understanding of the culture of Turkey. Masat’s welcoming speech explained about the Turkish Association and gave a little background information on the members. Dr. Arnavut’s opening speech touched on his experiences with the group and thanked all of those who help sponsor the dinner. After both speeches, another video clip was played. This clip enlightened the audience with information about the founder of the modern Turkey Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This video can also be found on YouTube under this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmC3N727ME0.
During the dinner, SUFI music was played. The dinner was a five course meal, including dessert. Fist served was a well-loved Turkish soup called Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi). Following that was a Turkish Shepherd’s Salad (Coban Salatasi) and/or Turkish Tabbouleh (Kisir), which is a traditional Turkish side or salad. The served appetizer was Stuffed Grape Leaves (Yaprak Sarmasi). For the main course, there was a choice between Turkish Palif (Meyhane Pilavi), Roasted Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi), and Turkish Roasted Meat (Adana Kebap). For dessert, Baklava and Fruits (Meyve Tabagi) were served. Four different drinks were available: Ayran, Turnip Juice (Salgam Suyu), Turkish Tea (Cay), Turkish Coffee (Turk Kahvesi).
After the meal was over, one of the members of the Turkish Association, Nergis Senturk, graced the audience with a song that she sang in Turkish. She then invited the rest of the members of the association to sing a second song with her. This was very touching, for the dinner was in part a farewell party for some of the Turkish Association’s members who will be graduating this spring and returning to their hometowns.
Overall, the Turkish Dinner was definitely not a campus event to miss. The food was extravagant and the entertainment and learning experiences for those who attended was even better. Hopefully all who missed this one will be present at next year’s dinner. If you would like to learn more about the Turkish Association or see pictures from the dinner, you can follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FredoniaTurks/.
Xiaojing Tang Graduate Vocal Recital
 Xiaojing Tang's graduate vocal recital was held in the Rosch Recital Hall at 8:00pm on Saturday, April 20. She was accompanied by James Welch on the piano, Alexander Davis on the Bassoon, Kelly Gravel on the Oboe, and Nicole Pearson on the violin. The International Education group is very proud of her accomplishments.
Study Abroad:
Study Abroad Fair
This year's annual study abroad fair was on September 17th, from 10am to 2pm in the Williams Center Multipurpose room. It was an event held by the International Education Center where students could go and learn about all of the different study abroad programs that SUNY Fredonia offers as well as what some other SUNY schools offer. It was a great opportunity to ask questions and talk to the people who work in the international education office about studying abroad.
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