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On September 28th, 2020 I attended the Lecture in Musicology: Alex E. Chavez – Verses and Flows : Migrant Lives and the Sounds of Crossing. This was a very interesting event because it was one of the very first zoom lecture and International Affairs events that I attended, but also because Alex Chacvez had a lot of thoughtful insight on the issue. Ethnographer, musician, and academic, Alex Chavez, is the Nancy O’Neill Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. When people think about immigration they tend to automatically defer to thinking about border patrol and security, but Chavez focused more on the cultural aspect of moving across a border and merge of cultures throughout it. He was reciting the translation of a song titled “San Ciro, San Luis Potosi”, which represented a struggling man’s challenges in trying to find his place and setting. It really spoke to me on how hard it is for immigrants to find their identity when they migrate to another country. I can relate to this on a personal level because both of my parents emigrated from India in 1992 and had to build their new life here, which they still figure out every single day. He also talked about the poem of Sierra Gorda, which is a nature preservation which is deemed very important in Hispanic culture. He compared it to the city of Nashville, Tennessee which is the closest analogy to highlight Sierra Gorda’s significance. Not only is Tennessee very beautiful in song and enunciation, but is enriched with American culture and represents the heart and soul of America. 

On December 4th, 2019, I attended the late night breakfast in the basement of Smith Steeb. This was a great social event because it brought together the scholars from International Affairs, Politics, Society and Law, as well as Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars. Often times, scholars groups joke around about having beef amongst each other, but this event, as well as our other joint events highlights the unity that us Scholars students have. At this event, we shared breakfast food and destress from the final season, which we all desperately could have used. Upon arriving at the event, the line was very long but this provided me and a few other IA students to converse and connect with several other scholars. We had discussions regarding politics, weather, as well as the anxiety behind upcoming finals. It was interesting to hear the opinions of PSL students regarding nominees in the upcoming elections, because they have more knowledge about actual policy and views of the candidates. For once it was nice to hear validated opinions about politics, rather than conversations based on likeability or persona of the candidate. All in all, this was definitely one of my favorite International Affairs events because it was a relaxing atmosphere, and provided us with the opportunity to bond with fellow scholars in the building. Definitely looking forward to this event again next year!

On Thursday, November 21st at 7pm, I watched the documentary “13th” in the glass classroom in Smith-Steeb. This documentary was about the racial inequalities faced against African-Americans in terms of policing and law enforcement. Following slavery and the establishment of the 13th amendment, African Americans were faced with mass hatred and persecution from domestic terror groups such as the KKK.  Americans were not content with the social change occurring, and decided to act upon this matter. With slowly rising prison and crime rates, they saw a skyrocket along the same time the Civil Right movement started picking up momentum. During the Jim Crow segregation era, African Amercians were being incarcerated for simple misdemeanors such as loitering. This eventually transgressed into the war on crime, which was heavily shaped by the Nixon and Reagan administrations. Nixon and his advisors strategically altered their agenda to associate hard, dangerous drugs like heroin with African Americans and more recreational drugs such as marijauna with the hippie demographic. This was furthered stronger with Reagan’s modern declaration on the war on drugs. He utilized the topic of economic and racial inequality and linked it with drug abuse through vague racial terms to bring forth mass incarceration against communities of color. From 1980 to 1985, the prison population in the United States grew by over 200,000 and nearly 400,000 from 1985 to 1990. Dangerous public associations of drug abuse to communities of color is one that will directly hinder the ability of African Americans to thrive in society. Ideals like this express sentiments about America’s criminal justice system, which is heavily disproportionate of African Americans. As the supposed leader of the free world, the United States should have a criminal justice system which serves as a framework for developing democractic governments. This relates to International Affairs because even though the United States only accounts for 5% of the world’s population, we account for 25% of the global prison population. This is a demographic that must be addressed. Not just that, but our history as a whole. Without accepting our harsh historical realities of slavery, segreation, and discrimination, the United States will not overcomne this never ending problem of racial inequality and disparities. 

On Friday, November 15th, I attended the Zoo Lights event at the Columbus Zoo. This was a social event that I attended with my floormates after a long week of hard work. I’ve heard many prestigious things about the Columbus Zoo, and this IA event provided me with the opportunity to gain free admission into the zoo with the donation of 5 canned goods. The proceeds went to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which aims to end hunger and co-create thriving communities in Franklin county. This event was one that was very fun and different from other IA events because we had the freedom to explore the zoo from our own perspective and in small group settings. The Light Show at the Zoo was very impressive and aesthetically pleasing to view, especially after sunset when the lights were vividly on display. My personal favorite part of this event was when we visited the Asian Quest, where the lights were red and yellow depicted a “Chinatown” setting. It was super interesting to be able to experience and discover different cultures simply by wandering through the zoo. Additionally, we traveled across different regions and looked at the animal from their respective exhibits. Unfortunately due to the cold climate in Columbus, many exhibits are shut during the winter and animals are shipped out to different facilities. This system relates to International Affairs because the Columbus zoo essentially saves animals from destructive habitats and provides them with a safe, healthy environment to develop. However, this isn’t always positive in my perspective. For example, on this trip I saw a polar bear attempting to relax on a cold surface in his exhibit. I saw the struggle that he was facing in regulating his body temperature, simply because this isn’t his natural environment or climate. We view zoos as environmental sanctuaries, but in reality we are extracting animals out of this ecosystem and placing them in a replicated simulation, for the entertainment of the common person. Although zoos are beneficial towards the education and awareness of animal sciences, we must bear in mind as the international community to also put forth and effort to conserve wildlife and preserve our natural world as we know it. 

On October 8th, I attended the global engagement night at the Office of International Affairs. It was a campus event in the Enarson Building which I attended which my Smith floormates. At this meeting, we first participated in some icebreakers to lighten the mood to allow for more comfortable group discussion. The group leader then presented a presentation on fashion from various countries from each respective continent/region. We learned about the culture and fashion of El Salvador, Greece, Nigeria, Malaysia, Colombia. It was interesting to see how fashion has evolved in each country over time as well as how the men’s fashion differentiated from women’s fashion. Typically, men’s outfits were more comfortable and casual overall relative to the traditional formal dress of the women. It was also unique that the clothing from all of these various countries is made from the same basic cotton and silk but each country has its own take on how they choose to wear the clothing. Fashion from these countries typically means a lot more than wearing clothing for aesthetic pleasure. International clothing represents something and is a portrayal of one’s culture and heritage. For example, I wear my traditional Indian clothing at Indian weddings and get togethers because it is a representation and celebration of my culture and background. Fashion from around the world should be celebrated and welcomed because by celebrating what makes us unique, actually brings us closer together.

On Sunday evening on October 20th, I planned on attending the academic event at the showing of the Netflix original documentary “American Documentary”. Upon arriving to the Steeb basement, we came to the realization that the TV in the basement did not have audio loud enough for all of us IA students to listen to properly. Unable to increase the volume on the TV, community leader Lindsay Woodruff told us that we could watch the movie on our own if we choose to. I took the initiative to suggest to the group that we could use my mini projector and put the documentary on display on the 8th floor lounge. The group loved the idea but when we got to the lounge, we faced the difficulty of dimming the lights enough to project quality video. After failing to project a proper display, we pivoted to display the documentary on Seth’s TV. Which inevitably also failed. Eventually, we got the picture running on Kevin’s TV and began watching.  

While some may view Fuyao’s accusation of the glass plant as a savior and an assurance of American jobs, life in the factory isn’t as easy as it sounds. The relation between the Chinese management and the American workers is not at a comfortable point where the company is successful. First and foremost, is the language barrier itself. Chinese department managers must use google translate to convey simple phrases like “I’m here to look for a tool” and “set the temperature to 60 degrees fahrenheit” to their American subordinates. Simple hiccups like these wastes production time up, which is a big implication and obstacle for international business. Another problem is the Chinese management, and chairman Cao Dewang trying to reduce costs and optimize production. A work environment like this creates many mental pressures and burdens on the employees. American glass inspectors discusses the mental toll that strenuous physical labor takes on your mind and body over time. Additionally, these workers used to make nearly “29 dollars and some change” per hour at GM whereas they now make $12.84 per hour at Fuyao. And when concerns of unionizing or discussing workers’ rights comes up, Dewang claims that he cannot manage these Americans and that they complain too much. While Fuyao is a trailblazer in the glass industry and is trying to do something different, they must first take some drastic steps within the company to create a positive work environment.  There is a great cultural divide which affects the work production of the workers in general. As Fuyao is “marching forward to be [the] world gas provider”, they must take the best elements of both American and Chinese business practices to optimize their product quality and profit.

On Thursday August 29th, I attended the IA/ACES/PSL/HSS social event cookout. In the first week of college, everyone was super stressed about making friends and handling course load that we could all come together in one spot and destress together. This was a great opportunity to bond with some other people from people who reside in Smith Steeb. Often times, I would see people roaming the halls and offer a simple greeting but this event gave us all an outlet to recognize and match name to face and bond on a personal level. I had the chance to catch up with some of my friends from high school who are in Politics, Society, and Law program. Both of us seized the opportunity to network and introduced each other to our fellow floormates. By doing so, we each made 8 new friends and connections. There’s an ongoing joke that there is a rivalry between PSL and IA, so to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal with the PSL kids was truly a gifting experience. Ultimately, we are all dedicated college students who share a passion for policy and diplomacy. All that is needed is some common ground to open dialogue for conversation, and luckily enough our scholars programs provided us with that platform.

This past Wednesday on September 11th, I attended the campus event International Affairs Mini-Involvement Fair on the Smith Steeb Lawn.  I decided to go to this because most of the clubs that I interacted with at the involvement fair, were not really internationally focused so I wanted to expose myself for more of those. I used this event as an opportunity to connect back with the Collegiate Council of World Affairs Model United Nations Team. Last year at Solon High, I was the president of our Model United Nations team so I wish to keep that extracurricular active in college. Also, my high school team plans on attending OSUMUN this year so I would like to stay involved with CCWA so I could be a connection for them at the conference. 

At the Involvement fair, I also spoke with the members of the Alexander Hamilton Society about their organization and what they do. AHS is a nonpartisan organization which hosts speakers and debates on foreign, economic, and national security policy. The thing that really stood out to me about AHS was the diversification of their political beliefs. They have a member base of around 50 people who all have varying political views across the spectrum. This challenged me to sign up for the club because in our IA seminar we discussed popping our political bubble and trying to open the dialogue for discussing politics with those of different political ideologies. In Model UN, the majority of the members are left-leaning and liberal, which at times can be toxic because we aren’t allowing ourselves to open up and hear the other perspective. So this year I will attempt to be a member of CCWA; to continue my loyalty and love for mun, and AHS; to open myself to new discussions and ideologies. 

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