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Cultural community groups are making it easier than ever this year for students to find out about resources available to them.
The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center is hosting "Orientation Orientation" tonight from 6:30 to 8 at the center, introducing students to over 30 campus and community groups, explained Lambda Alliance chairman and College junior Dennie Zastrow.
The Queer Student Alliance is also hosting "The Gay Affair" tomorrow night from 7:30 to 9 at the LGBT Center to introduce new students to members of the LGBT community.
Makuu, the black cultural center, and UMOJA, the umbrella group for black organizations, are hosting a 2008 "Welcome to the Neighborhood" fair on College Green tomorrow from 12 to 4 p.m. The fair is student run and will feature local vendors, many of which are black-owned businesses, Makuu associate director Daina Richie said.
La Casa Latina started meeting new students before the semester began by inviting them to lunch with older Latino students who talked about their experiences at Penn, said director Johnny Irizarry.
Pan-Asian American Community House director June Chu said PAACH attends all resource fairs during orientation.
They also offered a proseminar called "More than just twinkies, desies and FOBs" about "Asian Americans on campus, being Asian American on campus and stereotypes of Asian Americans," said Chu.
The Muslim Student Association hosted a dinner Friday night for new students and any other interested students, said MSA Islamic education co-chairwoman and Engineering sophomore Dara Elass. They also hosted bowling and lunch on Saturday.
"The MSA really tries to attract the Muslims because we really are a minority," said Elass. She said they want to show new students that "we really do exist."
As important to understanding the resources available is knowing where to find them.
Zastrow said that most centers have an open house - The LGBT Center's is on Sept. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. - and it has hosted barbecues in the past to help new students get acquainted with the center. This year, they hung banners to draw attention to the center.
La Casa Latina and Makuu will co-sponsor an open house at the Arch, located at 36th Street and Locust Walk, on Sept. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will feature performances by student groups.
"We often cross-pollinate in terms of our populations, our food interests and things like that," Richie said, adding that they want people to see the newly-renovated space.
PAACH will host an open house on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. Chu emphasized that it is open to the whole Penn community.
La Casa Latina is hosting an open house at the Graduate Student Center - located at 3615 Locust Walk - on Sept. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. Irizarry said the event will be similar to the open house on the 17th but for graduate students and will be held in collaboration with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia.
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