As a member of the greater UB international community, the Caribbean Student Association seeks to educate all students about their region, not just those who hail from there.
The club extends their helping hand on Oct. 17 with the launch of a weeklong celebration of Caribbean culture. The event is designed to promote cultural awareness, as well as give students a chance to affect the global community and keep up to date on world issues.
Hurricane Ivan whipped the Caribbean with its fierce 145 mph winds, leaving mangled islands in its wake. Grenada was hit the worst of all; 90 percent of its buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The SA is collecting food and supplies to aid the battered island's recovery.
"We're collecting everything and anything to send to help aid Grenada," said Groves.
"We have an ongoing food and clothing drive and there will be a party at the end of Caribbean week."
The proceeds from that will go to help the Caribbean Community Secretariat aid in the relief and rebuilding of the countries in the Caribbean.
Students interested in lending a hand are urged to drop off donations at the Caribbean SA office at 307 Student Union.
The African SA is also pushing for greater cultural awareness among the UB community. As the AIDS epidemic continues to spread throughout the world, the group is fighting to educate those who may not be conscious of global issues.
"The main goal of the ASA is to help Americans to better understand the nations and the people of Africa," said senior Joel Payton, an early childhood development and photography major and president of the ASA.
According to www.blackaids.org, South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, with a total of 4.2 million infected people. African Americans are also greatly affected by the epidemic accounting for about 21,000, of the more than 42,000 estimated AIDS cases diagnosed among adults in the United States in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
This has led the ASA to make AIDS a top priority in their campaign for education.
"Usually during a general meeting, we have a speaker about AIDS," said Payton.
The ASA has effectively teamed up with other groups on campus who work toward social change.
"Last year the Anti-Rape Task Force spoke about the impact and prevention of AIDS and HIV on a national and local level," said Payton.
The ASA plans to host an international soccer tournament to raise funds to support the fight against AIDS. It will also hold a hair and fashion on Oct. 23 to display African culture and talent.
"We want to break stereotypes and express the pride our members feel in their culture," Payton said.
