Rowan Culture Fest unites communities

Rowan’s culture fest is one of many annual events on campus that mark the return of students, and this year it came back with an array of organizations tabling on the grounds.

Wednesday, Sept. 3, Memorial Circle was abuzz with Rowan’s many cultural organizations, clubs, and other identity-based groups, such as some fraternities and sororities. Rowan’s own organizations were also out there on the green, with groups like Gourmet Dining, Alumni Engagement, and of course, the host org., the Rowan Center for Belonging and Student Engagement (BSE).

The event was set up fishbowl style, with tables for different types of groups marking the perimeter of the lawn. Each table was run by clubs and organizations that interacted with Fest-goers as they found groups that they may be interested in joining or working with.

Students were incentivized to interact with these tables by swiping their student ID card at the front of the event in exchange for a card with eight spaces to be stamped. Tables were equipped with individualized stamps, and after students got eight stamps, they could exchange their punch card for a meal ticket.

This event had food supplied by three participating vendors. These food trucks were set up in the street next to Memorial Circle, and were only taking these cards for the evening; no cash payments were accepted.

So many students were in attendance and got a food voucher that two of the three food trucks ran out of food, with Famous Sgt. Bob BBQ & Grill and the Korea Tacqueria are closing early despite lines of people waiting for food. 

Evidence of the events’ success was not just in the lines of food, however.

Individual groups were performing or presenting throughout the evening, such as dancing, singing, or just talking about their organizations on the microphone towards the front of the circle. In between, a DJ was playing music.

Groups in attendance were diverse, per the theme of the event.

One such group was the Hispanic-based fraternity, La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda. Pri Patel, a sophomore economics major, was tabling for La Unidad Latina at Culture Fest, which is an event his organization attends in part to reach out to new students.

“So, Culture Fest, this is a big influx of first-generation students. And as a first-generation student, it’s hard to acclimate to the new scene, making new friends. Most of these people [in attendance] are from hundreds of miles away,” said Patel.

While La Unidad Latina is a Hispanic-based fraternity, it isn’t Hispanic-exclusive. Multi-cultural Greek organizations were not a rarity at the culture fest, with other organizations such as the sorority Mu Sigma Upsilon also in attendance.

This organization is open to women of all ethnicities and operates under the motto, “mujeres siempres unidas,” or women always united. Present at the MSU table weren’t just Rowan students, but members of the sorority from across the state of New Jersey, including Priscilla Alexandre, a graduate student at Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Alexandre, a student studying data analytics, is also a member of Mu Sigma Upsilon and attended Culture Fest to support one of her sorority sisters.

“Since we are a multicultural sorority, these are events that I do try to make sure to come out for and show faith and really represent us,” said Alexandre.

What stands out about Rowan’s Culture Fest isn’t just Greek life, though.

“A lot of times it’s [just] focused on the Greeks and the clubs. I like the fact that they represent different organizations [here] I haven’t seen before. Like for me, I like the fact that there was an LGBTQ table. That’s something I haven’t seen at my old campuses or other campuses,” said Alexandre.

Many Rowan clubs or Rowan-affiliated clubs showed out that were based in providing community to students based on their identity, be it Rowan’s Prism, a club for LGBTQ students, or Rowan’s Asian Cultural Association, to groups dedicated to the preservation of cultural practices.

Various dance teams were also present at Culture Fest, such as Ritmo Caliente, a Latin dance team under the United Latinos Association.

There were also some organizations present from outside of Rowan dedicated to providing targeted support to students, such as U GOOD F.A.M.? a group dedicated to hosting student dialogues for all students, but with a focus on marginalized and underrepresented groups.

“We host facilitated dialogues regarding mental health and wellness advocacy. Students can come and bring a friend, there’s free food and drinks, and we try to give students a safe space to talk about life in college and their professional goals and things of that nature,” said Amir Rutherford from U GOOD F.A.M.?

Culture Fest attracted a wide array of organizations, and from that, a wide array of students who came to share in an evening of fun, food, and community. This event had strong attendance, and the crowd was impressively diverse, with students of all backgrounds mingling with organizations in preparation for the year ahead.

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