CultureFest offers new students food, music, fun

One of the most well-attended Welcome Week events, CultureFest offers students the chance to taste a slice of life that might be different from their own. \nKicking off at 4:30 p.m. today, the indoor portion of the event will begin in the IU Auditorium with storyteller Momma Sandi. According to her Web site, Momma Sandi uses not only words, but also music and movement to involve the audience in her storytelling. \nDirector of Welcome Week and Associate Director of Orientation Programs Melanie Payne said the indoor portion of CultureFest is one of the highlights. In keeping with the theme of storytelling, students will also watch a video of current students telling the story of IU.\nArmed with food vouchers distributed in the auditorium, students are then invited to venture to the area around Showalter Fountain to experience a wide range of foods and booths offered by campus organizations, including the Asian American Association, campus religious leaders, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services, Leo R. Dowling International Center, La Casa Latino Cultural Center and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.\nIn addition to the food, attendees will experience live music and activities, such as salsa lessons and henna tattooing.\n"It's worthwhile because it helps students be part of a different type of community than they have been," Payne said. "What we're trying to do is introduce them to the possibility of getting involved in other people's lives that didn't parallel theirs"