Advertising graduate student Colleen Norwine was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday afternoon when she stopped by the lobby of the MSU-DCL College of Law building on her way to use the library.
Instead of finding students studying or waiting for class to begin, she walked right into the thick of Ethnic Food Day.
"I saw the sign, and I love ethnic food," she said. "Especially on a cold winter day, it was nice to come take advantage of it."
Ethnic Food Day is only one part of Diversity Week 2004, a week-long series of events at MSU-DCL that recognizes and promotes the issues of diversity and law.
Kate McNeill, president of MSU's Student Bar Association, said this year's diversity week is special because it is the 10th anniversary.
"We're looking back over the past 10 years to see how far we've come," she said.
The week began in 1994 after a racial incident occurred involving a student in the college, said Connell Alsup, MSU-DCL assistant dean for Student Affairs.
"Even though it was 1994, there was still a need to have an awareness for diversity and tolerance for differences," he said. "We don't all have to agree, but we must have tolerance for diversity in society."
Last semester, 86 percent of MSU-DCL students were Caucasian, followed by 6 percent being Asian or Pacific Islander, 5 percent black, 1 percent Chicano and Latino and less than 1 percent being Native American, officials said.
McNeill said many of the week's events help people entering into the legal profession to become acquainted with the variety of diversity issues they will face within their field.
But Ethnic Food Day is more on the fun side, she said.
"It's a social event to kick off the week and to mix and mingle and to have an introduction to different ethnic traditions through food," she said.
Students and faculty were lured by the smells of Mexican quiche squares, Malaysian chicken turnovers and Moroccan eggplant dip filling their plates. Many visitors were impressed by the variety of the spread in front of them.
All events are open to everyone on campus, said LaWanna Baker, Student Bar Association Diversity Week committee member.
A legal panel featuring various law professors will be the lead event this afternoon, discussing different diversity issues in the law.
A blood drive also will take place this afternoon by appointment only.
Voter registration will be available today and Friday in the MSU-DCL lobby.
On Thursday, a Student Organization Diversity Awareness Fair will feature educational booths from different racial and social organizations from MSU-DCL. The themes of these booths are evidence to Baker of how far the college has come since its first diversity week a decade ago.
"Before, it was an issue of tolerance, and now, it's an issue of togetherness," she said.
