JANUARY 2014
Inside this issue:
Student Organizations
Multicultural Affairs promotes awareness
of cultural diversity and multicultural
issues. The office serves as a resource
and referral center for faculty, staff,
students, and local communities.
In addition, the office enhances
educational development about diversity
and multicultural issues and advocates
for students’ needs on campus.
Check us out on Facebook!
New Year’s Traditions Around
2
3-4
the World
Special Events Around Topeka
5-7
Opportunities/Internships
8-9
Multicultural Affairs
Washburn University
Morgan Hall, 110
1700 SW College
Topeka, KS 66621
Email: [email protected]
www.washburn.edu/mao
Monday-Friday
8:00am-5:00pm
(After 5pm by Appointment)
washburn.edu/diversity
facebook.com/wudiversity
Dona K. Walker, Director
Debra Hupp,
Senior Administrative Assistant
Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO)
Contact: [email protected]
Meets Wednesdays at 4:30 pm in the Cottonwood Room, Memorial Union
Indigenous Nations Student Association (INSA)
Contact: [email protected]
Asian American Association (AAA)
Leadership needed
Washburn Black Student Union (WBSU)
Contact: [email protected]
Meets Mondays at 7pm in the Blair Room, LLC
Washburn NAACP College Branch (NAACP)
Leadership needed
~ Multicultural Student Organization Leadership Needed ~
Questions? Contact Multicultural Affairs at [email protected]
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
PAGE 2
Many New Year’s traditions are similar, but some are different. Here are some interesting
customs, past and present, around the world.
Australian: New Year's is celebrated on January 1. This is a public holiday and many people spend it
having picnics and camping on the beach. Their parties start on December 31. At midnight they start to
make noise with whistles, rattles, car horns, and church bells to ring in the New Year.
Austria: New Year's Eve is called Sylverterabend, which is the Eve of Saint Sylvester. They make a
spiced punch in honor of the saint. Decorations and champagne are part of the celebration. Evil spirits of
the old year are chased away by the firing of mortars. Midnight mass is attended and trumpets are blown
from church towers at midnight, when people kiss each other.
Belgian: New Year's Eve is called Sint Sylvester Vooranvond, or Saint Sylvester Eve. People throw
parties and at midnight everyone kisses and exchanges good luck greetings. New Year's Day is call Nieuwjaarrsdag. Children write letters on decorated paper to their parents and god parents, and read the letter
to them.
Brazil: Brazilians believe that lentils signify wealth and prosperity. So they serve food items made
up of the legume like soup or rice on the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, the priestesses dress up in blue
and white for an auspicious ceremony celebrated for the water goddess. Also a sacrificial boat filled with
jewelry, candles and flowers from the beach of Rio de Janeiro is pushed to the ocean that brings health,
wealth and happiness for them.
China: The Chinese have a unique way of celebrating New Year, where every front door of a house
is painted in red which symbolizes happiness and good fortune. They hide all the knives for the day so that
no one cuts oneself, because that may actually cut the entire family’s good luck for the coming year.
Denmark: In Denmark, residents keep a pile of dishes, all broken, in front of the door. For this they
save old dishes and People usually throw these on the friends’ doors during New Year. This symbolizes
friendship and brotherhood and they believe the one with maximum dishes outside, has the most friends.
Some Danish are found to leap some chairs during midnight.
Egypt: Egyptians believe that the New Year begins only when the new crescent moon is visible in
the sky. They create an extremely festive atmosphere all around and celebrate the New Year with happiness and joy. The official announcement is made in the city of Cairo in a holy mosque.
France: The French New Year is Jour des Etrennes, or Day of New Year's Presents. Dinner parties
are thrown for the entire family, where presents are exchanged.
Germany: People drop molten lead into cold water to tell the future from the shape it makes. A bit
of food eaten on New Year's Eve is left on their plate until after Midnight, as a way on ensuring a wellstocked larder in the coming year.
Greece: January 1 is an important date in Greece because it is St. Basil's Day, as well as the first
day of the year. St. Basil was known for his kindness to children. Stories tell how he would come in the
night and leave gifts for children in their shoes. People gather, have special meals and exchange gifts.
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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Continued New Year Traditions…….
Hungary: In Hungary the people burn effigies, or a scapegoat known as " Jack Straw" . The scapegoat represents the evils and misfortunes of the past year. Burning the effigy is supposed to get rid of the
bad luck.
Indian: The Indian New Year's is started with a festival of lights called Diwali. Cards and gifts are exchanged and people finish off any uncompleted work.
Japan: Japanese New Year or Oshogatsu is meant for celebrations with family and it begins with
proper decoration of the home to welcome luck and fortune. They clean the entire house, get themselves
off from every financial liability, and resolve all issues before the New Year hits. They follow traditions of
three things: a pine branch, called kadomatsu, denotes longevity; a stalk of bamboo symbolizes prosperity, whereas a plum blossom shows nobility.
Netherlands: People burn Christmas trees in street bonfires and let fireworks ring in the New
Year.
Philippines: They believe that every round thing is auspicious. So they consume grapes, have
coins, wear polkas dotted dresses, as they have faith that circular things attract more fortune and money.
Puerto Rico: People throw buckets of water out of their window and also clean their homes
properly. This they believe will clean the odds of the last year as well as get the spirits out of the home.
Rome: The celebrations last for three days where the Romans decorate their houses with greenery and colorful lights, they choose gifts for their loved ones very carefully like Gold, silver, for prosperity,
honey for sweetness etc.
Russia: Grandfather Frost, who wears a blue suit instead of Santa's red, arrives on New Year’s
Eve with his bag of toys for the children.
Scotland: Night of the Candle. People prepare for New Years by cleaning their home and purifying
it with a ritual or burning juniper branches carried through the home. The First Footer says that whoever
the first person to set foot into your home on New Year's Day decides the luck of the family for the coming
year.
South Africa: The New Year is rung in with church bells ringing and gunshots being fired. On New
Year's Day there is a carnival atmosphere.
South America: A dummy or straw person is offered, placed outside the home and burned at midnight.
Spain: The Spanish, eat 12 grapes at every toll of the clock during the New Year. This they believe
will bring good luck and happiness for the coming 12 months.
Wales: In Wales, during midnight, at the initial toll, the back door of the house is first opened and then
immediately shut. This symbolizes releasing the old year and locking out all the bad luck it brought. At the
12th toll of the clock, the door is re-opened to welcome the New Year with all its goodness, luck and prosperity. At around 3:00 to 4:00 am on New Year's morning, the boys of the village go from house to house
with an evergreen twig to sprinkle on the people and then each room of their house, to bring good luck.
On New Year's Day the children travel the neighborhood singing songs and are rewarded with coins and
sweets.
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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2014 Living the Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Week of Events
2014 Theme: “One Day”
Living the Dream Website: www.ltdtopeka.com
Monday, January 6, 2014 – Monday, January 13, 2014: Educational Outreach Week
In collaboration with ten Topeka Public Schools, the Brown vs. Board of Education Historical Site will be
sponsoring tours of the John Ritchie Historical House and the Brown Historical Site, January 6, 2014
through January 13, 2014.
Sunday, January 12, 2014: “Unity in the Community” Musical
A kick-off musical will be held at 4:00 p.m. at the Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church located at
610 SE Lime Street, Rev. Marcus Clark, Pastor. Choirs and soloists from diverse churches will provide
musical selections. A special presentation will be made by Mayor Larry Wolgast and Dr. Mildred Edwards, Executive Director, Kansas African-American Affairs Commission.
Monday, January 13, 2014: Educational Outreach Day
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be storytelling about the life of Dr. King to various Topeka area
pre-school students.
Representatives from the Topeka Fire and Police Department, and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
will make presentations at various elementary schools about non-violence, anti-bullying, and social media issues.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014: Educational Outreach Day
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be storytelling about the life of Dr. King to various Topeka area
pre-school students.
Representatives from the Topeka Fire and Police Department, and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
will make presentations at various elementary schools about non-violence, anti-bullying, and social media issues.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014: Respect for Elders’ Day
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be storytelling about the life of Dr. King to various
pre-school students.
Topeka area
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be delivering personal care items to nine Topeka senior citizen
facilities in recognition of elderly citizens throughout the week of January 13-17, 2014. Delivery times
will occur from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Representatives from the Topeka Fire and Police Department, and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
will make presentations at various elementary schools about non-violence, anti-bullying, and social media issues.
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5……..”Living the Dream”
The Eighth Annual Poetry Competition for students in grades 5th-12th will be held at Westar Energy,
Wymore Auditorium, 818 SE Kansas Avenue at 6:30 p.m. A reception will follow in the Multipurpose
Room.
Thursday, January 16, 2014: Youth Day: “Drumming for the Drum Major”
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be storytelling about the life of Dr. King to various Topeka area
pre-school students.
The Governor’s Annual March from the Kansas Judicial Building to the State Capitol Rotunda will start
at 11:00 am. Mr. Ron Freeman is the special guest speaker. The Topeka Community Mass Choir will
be providing musical selections.
Five Topeka high school drum lines will be “Drumming for the Drum Major” at the Highland Park
High School Auditorium, 2424 SE California Avenue at 7:00 p.m. The doors open at 6:30 pm. The admission is either a $2.00 donation, two canned food items, or a new personal care item for infants.
Representatives from the Topeka Fire and Police Department and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
will make presentations at various elementary schools about non-violence, anti-bullying, and social media issues.
Friday, January 17, 2014: Phillip V. Ashford, Jr. Stop the Violence Day
Mr. Cliff Rovelto, Coach and Director of Track and Field at Kansas State University will be speaking to
Topeka area middle and high school students about staying in school and making the right choices at
the Topeka Performing Arts Center, 214 SE 8th Street at 9:15 am. First, second, and third place winners of the 2014 Living the Dream Art, Essay, and Poetry Competitions will be recognized.
Ms. Andrea Scipio, Washburn University AmeriCorps, VISA Fellow at the Kansas African American Affairs Commission will be making a presentation to Capitol City School students at 1:30 pm.
A Community Leadership and Recognition Luncheon will be held at the Ramada Hotel and Convention
Center (Jefferson Room) located at 420 SE Sixth Street at 11:30 a.m. Several corporate leaders will
be recognized for their sponsorship. This luncheon is by invitation only. To make advance reservations,
email [email protected] or call (785) 213-8427 no later than January 10, 2014. The
luncheon is a $20.00 per person donation. The guest luncheon speaker is filmmaker and playwright,
Mr. Kevin Willmott, Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies at the University of Kansas.
Mr. Clayborne Carson, a distinguished Stanford University Professor of History and Director of the Dr.
Martin Luther King Institute will be speaking to the female residents at 3:30 pm and to the male residents at 4:15 pm at the Topeka Juvenile Correctional Facility.
Representatives from the Topeka Fire and Police Department, and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office will make presentations at various elementary schools about non-violence, anti-bullying, and social
media issues.
Members of Living the Dream, Inc. will be storytelling about the life of Dr. King to various Topeka area
pre-school students.
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 ……”Living the Dream”
Saturday, January 18, 2014: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship and Awards Banquet
The Scholarship and Awards Banquet will be held at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, Regency Ball Room, 420 SE Sixth Street. The doors open at 5:30 pm. The banquet and program starts at
6:30 pm. Graduating high school seniors who are recipients of college scholarships and community
awardees will be recognized. Mr. Clayborne Carson, a distinguished Professor of History at Stanford
University and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute is the banquet
speaker. Music will be provided by the Lex Norwood Group of Lawrence, Kansas.
Sunday, January 19, 2014: A Day of Worship and Fellowship
The Topeka/Lawrence Baptist Ministers’ Union is hosting a worship service at 6:00 pm at the Antioch
Missionary Baptist Church, 1100 SE Washington Street, Rev. T.D. Hicks, Pastor. The guest speaker is
Rev. Engus D. Carter, Senior Pastor of the Westminster Baptist Church of Kansas City, MO.
Monday, January 20, 2014: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Community Service
“Whose Dream Is It?” in partnership with Living the Dream, Inc. is sponsoring a free community-wide
soup dinner and program in celebration of the King Holiday. The soup dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. followed
by the program at 7:00 p.m. at the Central Congregational Church located at 1248 SW Buchanan Street.
The guest speaker is Mr. Dale Cushinberry, retired principal, Highland Park High School. The Topeka
Community Mass Choir comprised of diverse Topeka area churches will provide musical selections. A
reception will follow.
In partnership with the Harvesters Community Food Network’s “Day of Community Service,” members of
Living the Dream, Inc., and community citizens are invited to volunteer for two hour shifts (8am-10am;
10am-12:00 pm; 1pm–3pm; and 3pm-5pm) at the Harvester’s location at 215 SE Quincy Street to pack
boxes of food items for persons in need of food assistance. To volunteer, email Katherine Jennings,
Constituent Relationship Coordinator at [email protected] or contact Ms. Jennings at (785) 8617716.
The Brown vs. Board of Education Historical Site is partnership with Living the Dream, Inc. is hosting a
King Holiday program from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the Brown Historical Site located at 1515 SE Monroe Street. Throughout the day, games, activities and musical presentations will be made by the Topeka
High School Drummers and the Topeka West and Highland Park High School dancers. Mr. Dele Adegbore, a Topeka High School student and Mr. Meredith Kidd and Mr. Mitchell Kidd will be presenting a
rendition of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Several student winners of the 2014 Living the Dream
Essay and Poetry Competition will read their essay or recite their poem.
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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The link below is for an opening in the Business Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs for
a college student who is full time. They work around the students schedule and pay well.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/357764100
Job Title:Student Trainee (Admin/Office Management) - Pathways Internship Program
Department:Department Of Veterans Affairs
Agency:Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Job Announcement Number:EA-MPA-13-1016955
Legacy Summit
The African American Student Leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, in
conjunction with The African American Student Union (TAASU) and the Office of Multicultural
Student Affairs, is sponsoring the “The Legacy Summit on African American Student Leadership”
from Thursday, February 20th to Friday, February 21, 2014.
The Legacy Summit will offer a series of interactive workshops and discussions where students
will learn about self-branding, embracing culture, creating visibility and finding the voice on
campus.
If you have questions and want to sign up, contact:
Darius Jackson at [email protected] or
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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Opportunities of The Smithsonian
internship/fellowship application
deadlines coming up:
Go to www.smithsonianofi.com
1/15/14: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Virtual
Internship Application Deadline
1/15/14: Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Application Deadline
1/15/14: Smithson Fellowship Application Deadline
1/15/14: Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship
1/15/14: Smithsonian FY14 MarineGeo Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Deadline
1/31/14: Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Application Deadline
2/1/14: Archives of American Gardens Internship Application Deadline
2/1/14: NMAAHC Andrew W. Mellon Internship/Fellowship Application Deadline
3/15/14: Sigma Xi Research Society Grant Application Deadline
JANUARY 2014 MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
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