Students from different organizations ran tables representing different countries. Photo by Darcy Leber.

JULIA VERES | STAFF REPORTER | jveres@butler.edu

International Culture Night, hosted on March 4 in Atherton Union, allowed students to see countries around the world without having to leave campus. The event was organized by the Morton-Finney Diversity Scholars Program in partnership with the University Program Council (UPC), the Center for Global Education, the Efroymson Diversity Center and International Club. 

Students who attended were handed a mock passport upon entry to the event. Every time a student visited a country, they received a stamp on their passport. For every five stamps, students were entered into a raffle for one of three grand prizes at the end of the night. 

The prizes were an international food box containing sweets, teas and other delicacies from countries around the world, a three-piece luggage set with baggage tags, and a Butler merchandise basket. 

Mia Mroueh, a junior biology major and International Club president, discussed the importance of International Culture Night.

“When I was in high school, we had culture days every single year,” Mroueh said. “Butler has such intelligent and open-minded people, so I think it’s important to expose people to different cultures through food, these tables and community.”

Four rooms in Atherton were designated for this event. The Reilly Room, the Efroymson  Diversity Center and two meeting rooms on the second and third floor had countries covering the entire building. 

There were 25 countries from Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa represented at tables tended by Butler students who were part of the partnered organizations. 

Marianna Green, a junior international business and Spanish double major, is part of the Morton Finney Equity Leadership Team (MELT) and President of the UPC. 

Green played a key role in helping organize the event. 

“It’s a great way to expand the global mindset within Butler students in a way that is educational and that’s also promoted by their fellow students,” Green said. “It helps students appreciate the diverse mindset of how large our world is, and it is cool that we have a lot of [international students] on campus with us, too.”

Karinna Popp, a first-year sports media and strategic communications double major, came to the event to support her sorority sisters and enjoyed the event.

“Having students bring different cultures and backgrounds is so important for learning about the world around us,” Popp said.