As the 2018-19 academic year winds down, so too does Western Carolina University’s campus learning theme “Defining America.”
The culminating event for this year’s theme will be a “Defining America World’s Fair” that will take place Tuesday, April 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom. The fair will feature 24 interactive stations and events with food samplings, traditional dance and song, and a variety of activities that showcase how WCU has utilized the campus theme.
The purpose of the fair is to show how “Defining America” was used by faculty, staff and students creatively, through coursework and for engagement opportunities. Among the stations will be food samples from Central, South and North America, an opportunity to trace family roots with the DNA Ancestry Project, a chance for individuals to calculate their carbon footprint, and playing Plinko.
The exhibits and performing groups include Cherokee Elementary Traditional Dance Group; "Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage," presented by International Programs and Services; the Inspirational Choir; "Las Americas," presented by the Latinx learning community and U.S. Latinx studies minor; "Taste of Americas," presented by Aramark; "This is America: Live Art Demonstration" by Ricky Meredith featuring music by Childish Gambino, presented by Intercultural Affairs; "Democracy at Work," presented by the Student Government Association; "Social Work: Making America a Better Place," presented by the Department of Social Work; "Unrigging the American Economy: Live Poll," presented by the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise; and "America’s Amazing Beaches," presented by the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines.
The campus theme for 2019-20 is “Sustainability and the Environment.” For more information on the World’s Fair, contact April Tallant at 828-227-3276 or atallant@wcu.edu.