The Fountain

Kazakh New Year Festival Today

The International Kazakh Club is celebrating Nauryz Meyramy, the Kazakh New Year, with a festival at 1 p.m. today in the Student Center Ballroom. Students from Kazakhstan will share their traditions, including native songs, clothing and food. The event is free and everyone is invited. The holiday is one of the most important of the year for the people in Kazakhstan and is always celebrated at the...

Asian Students Spice Up Dinner Fare

Asian students added an exotic flavor to the usual cafeteria fare yesterday. The Asian/Pacific Islander Celebration of Culture at the Christian Cafeteria at 4 p.m. yesterday was part of the university’s celebration of culture series. The event was sponsored by the Minority Services office and Aramark with participation from students from Asian and Pacific Island nations. Aramark served the special...

Acting vs. Language in Snow Today

Can acting bridge the language barrier in theater? Two international theater students from Japan believe it can and are presenting a show to prove it today in the Black Box Studio Theatre in the Snow Fine Arts Center. The show, “Muzyun,” will be performed during X-period today and again Thursday. The story of “Muzyun,” which is the Japanese word for “paradox,” is...

Meet the IEP Observer

The Echo and The Fountain aren’t the only student-produced news sources on campus. There’s also the IEP Observer. The international students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) produce the IEP Observer as a monthly newsletter that reports on events, people and issues within the international student program. With more than 600 international students from more than 60 countries, the publication...

Students Learn U.S. Easter Traditions

Many of our international students learned about the American tradition of the Easter Egg hunt this Easter weekend. The Intensive English Program sponsored the hunt as part of a program to explain the Christian holiday to students from Buddhist and Muslim countries. About 50 international students attended the event, according to Phillip Taylor, an IEP instructor. The faculty and staff hid 400 eggs...

Sakura Festival During X-Period

The Japanese Student Association and Japanese Club are offering a chance to experience Japanese culture today during X-period in the Student Center Ballroom. It’s the third annual UCA Sakura Festival. Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossom. The cherry blossom has a special place in Japanese culture. You can read more about that here. The festival will include contemporary bands, dancing, brush...

Tuition Hike to Hit 600 Students

UCA has more than 600 international students from 68 countries, the second-highest amount of any state university, but that could change with university policy next year. UCA plans to charge international students out-of-state tuition beginning with the fall 2011 semester. Currently, international students pay the lower in-state tuition rate if they maintain at least a 3.0 GPA or live on campus. The...

Conversation Club Builds Skills

About 100 international students attended the last meeting of the semester yesterday of a conversation club sponsored by International Friendship Outreach. The conversation club is designed to help international students improve their English skills, meet other international students and learn about American culture. The IFO throws in a free dinner, too. IFO also offers a friendship-partner program...

Free Fun Friday for Foreigners

Looking for some fun tonight? Try International Student Fun Night at the Peace Lutheran Church Family Life Center, 800 Donaghey Dr. The event begins at 5 p.m. Shuttle bus rides begin at 4:45 p.m. from Stadium Park. The event is designed to allow international students a chance to meet new people, make friends, share ethnic food and discuss their cultures. All students are invited and admission is free. Saki...

Chinese Students Celebrate New Year

About 400 students celebrated the Chinese New Year on campus Saturday night dancing in traditional dress, singing Chinese songs, playing traditional instruments, reading poems, doing a martial art called Kong Fu and eating plenty of traditional Chinese food. This is the Year of the Tiger and is the year 4707, 4708 or 4647, depending on the Chinese calendar you use. The New Year is one of the most...