Clayton State to Celebrate Cultural Shock Week, March 24 to March 28

The Clayton State University Office of Campus Life will be celebrating Cultural Shock Week during the week of Mar. 24 to Mar. 28. According to Lakiesa Cantey, assistant director for Campus Life, Cultural Shock Week will be a week-long, campus-wide celebration to educate people about cultural differences and to promote cross-cultural interaction campus-wide with the theme, “Finding Common Ground and Learning to Embrace Differences.” All of the Cultural Shock Week events are open to the public.

On Monday, Mar. 24, Matt Glowacki will give a presentation on “Diversity According to Family Guy & South Park” from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in room B14 of the Lecture Hall. A native of Janesville, Wis., Glowacki is an outstanding athlete, even though he was born without legs. While attending college and playing wheelchair basketball, he developed and administered a community awareness program entitled, "What It Takes: Cornerstones for Success." Glowacki earned a position on the USA Paralympic Team for Sit-Volleyball in June 1998, and participated in the World Championships in Washington, D.C. He has traveled and competed internationally with the team and attended the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney and the 2002 World Championships in Cairo.

Glowacki will be answering such questions as… What makes people behave differently? Why do people react to things differently? According to Glowacki, the answers to both of these questions can be found by looking at the ways people are brought up and the experiences they call their own. For more information, go to http://www.colemanproductions.com/glowacki.html.

On Tuesday, Mar. 25, see a display of scenic pictures from around the world, “Around the World in Pictures,” on Main Street in the University’s James M. Baker Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A discussion and exploration of the definition of diversity and what it encompasses entitled “What Diversity Means to You” will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 26 in room 272 of the Baker Center.

Highlighting the week will be CulturalFest on Thursday, Mar. 27, a talent show by Clayton State students, faculty and staff. CulturalFest will run from noon to 2 p.m. in the Commons area of the James M. Baker Center. Clayton State performers will be showcasing talents (songs, dances, poetry) that are representative of their culture.

Finally, on Friday, Mar. 28 is the Flag Party, sponsored by the Caribbean Student Association, starting at 9:30 p.m. in the Commons area of the Baker Center.

“Students will have the opportunity to represent their country at this cultural party,” says Cantey. “We want students to take proud of their heritage and where they come from.”

The Flag Party is free to all with a Clayton State ID. There is a $2 admission charge for the general public. All of the rest of the Cultural Shock Week events are free.

For more information, contact Cantey at (678) 466-5421 or at lakiesacantey@clayton.edu.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.