Diversity showcased

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By Tom Saul | Sunday, October 5, 2008 2:40 PM CDT | () comments

Michael Dioz, left, of the Dominican Republic, and Daniel Ordaz of Mexico, both Scott Community College CASS students, sing during the Diversity Festival on Saturday at the college in Bettendorf. (Andrew Link/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

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The language barrier offered a definite impediment to understanding the cultural and ethnic diversity that exists at Scott Community College.

Saturday, as student groups and others showcased the range of different people on campus and in the community at the college’s first annual Fall Diversity Event, Iris Garay, a student from Honduras who spoke no English tried to make a reporter who spoke no Spanish understand a few things about her country.

With the assistance of Eudy Cepeda, a student from the Dominican Republic who spoke only a few words of English, and the international language of pointing at images, Garay noted that her country is “beautiful,” a combination of soaring mountains, dense jungles, brilliant blue waters and ancient and modern cultures.

“Mayans,” Garay said, pointing to a photo of ruins for the advanced culture that once ranged through most of Central America and Mexico and was distinguished by its extensive written language, mathematical and astrological systems.

Lyle Haakenson, of the Sons of Norway, a Quad-Cities group dedicated to all things Norwegian, needed no language to make his point about his pride in his origins. He donned a welded metal helmet with horns, a faux bearskin suit, a shield and a sword and made the rounds in the Student Life Center on campus.

“I can only wear it for a little while because it gets pretty warm, but people instantly know what I’m about,” Haakenson said of his Viking

get-up.

The campus of about 4,600 students is a veritable melting pot, said Teresa Paper, dean of the college. Sixty-two percent of its students are female, 14 percent have some unique race or ethnic characteristics and 1 percent come from a country other than the United States.

At the event, students and others from India,Thailand, Mexico, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, American Indian cultures, Scandinavian countries and others were present.

“Events like these give students exposure to other cultures and people,” Paper said. “Face it, it’s a world economy and it is very important to know about other people. We have enough international students that they have their own advisor.”

Scott Community also attracts many international students bound for Palmer College of Chiropractic, said Jennifer Robb, who manages the Trio student support program, which focuses on those who are the first generation in their families to attend

college.

Many attend Scott Community to pick up course work required at Palmer, Robb said. They can do it much cheaper at the community college. Many also take course work in English as a second language where they can immerse themselves and learn it in a year or two.

“Some who don’t know the language now, it you come back in a year or two and talk to them, they’ll sound like they’ve been speaking it all their lives,” Robb said.

Tom Saul can be contacted at (563) 383-2453 or tsaul@qctimes.com.