Have fun and discover opportunities to get involved with your campus community at the Intercultural Student Reception, hosted by the Grand Valley State University Office of Multicultural Affairs. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m., the annual Intercultural Student Reception will be held in the Kirkhof Center’s Grand River Room. This event provides an opportunity for GVSU faculty, staff and student organizations to connect with the student body. More than 20 student organizations will be present to share information about their club and encourage visitors to join. Many faculty members will also be attending the reception to inform new students about the numerous offices and resources on campus that may be beneficial throughout the school year.

“We will have academic departments, especially advising centers, at the reception” said Juanita Davis, the Event Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “We will also have special departments like African American Studies, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Global Studies and other areas that are sometimes overlooked by students. There will be student organizations that are connected to those departments, and offices like the Study Abroad Office. We will have different offices that students, especially first-year students, don’t often connect with. This is an opportunity for them to do that and to be aware of these places as resources and support.”

While there is plenty to learn at the Intercultural Student Reception, this event is also packed with fun. Attendees will have opportunities to win prizes such as GVSU apparel and a pair of wireless Beats by Dre headphones. A dance floor and a DJ will be provided for a Dance-Off competition where the crowd will choose the winner. There will also be complimentary food available for all visitors throughout the event. 

“It’s also an opportunity for students to connect with one another,” Davis said. “I expect that students will have a good time.” 

During the two-hour period, Davis predicts that there will be between 400 and 500 students who will visit the reception. 

One student organization especially looking forward to connecting with new students is the African Student Council, as this is their first year attending the reception.

“The Intercultural Student Reception is basically a Campus Life Night targeted toward the different cultures on Grand Valley’s campus,” said Bernice Fordjour, the President of the African Student Council. “I’m looking forward to relating to more people, specifically first-year students who didn’t get the chance to come to Campus Life Night. This is giving them a second chance [to get involved], especially if they are people of color or other under-represented groups. They can find organizations on campus to join and share a culture.”

The reception welcomes all GVSU students. “This is a great event that is open to the entire campus,” Davis said. “Our focus is first-year students, particularly under-represented populations, but we welcome everybody.”