East Lansing Welcomes the World will be held at the East Lansing Public Library on Sept. 20 for its 10th anniversary featuring food, family activities, community information tables, karaoke and a visit from Sparty.
“The event is a great way to build relationships between international students and East Lansing community members,” Joy Shantz, communications and community outreach coordinator for the Michigan State office for international students and scholars, said. “We want to make sure these students and their families feel welcome not only on campus but also in the city.”
The event is free and open to all community members from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The gathering is apart of Welcoming Week, which is Sept. 13-22 and includes many other events around the country.
“I think this is really important because these students are less likely to have any connections to this area or university,” Shantz said. “Very few students have any family who are alumni so it’s important for them to know that they are included just as much as the students who grew up here.”
There will also be a brief presentation welcoming international students from East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, MSU Office for International Students and Scholars Director Krista McCallum Beatty and East Lansing Public Library Director Kristin Shelley.
“It's really important that the international students feel comfortable and know that if they have questions they can reach out and that there are people here to help them,” Shelley said. “It also helps with some of the homesickness since they feel so far away from home.”
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