7:58 a.m., Sept. 28, 2010----The INNternationale, an on-campus residential and conference facility for international students, visiting professors, international guests, and University of Delaware graduate and undergraduate students interested in international living, held an Oriental Festival last weekend.

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The festival is part of the INNternationale's fall event series, which was recommended by the board of advisers, according to Randy Becker, founder, who said the board's interest was “to produce events that would introduce and educate and integrate the University community with our quickly growing INNternationale population.”

The weekend Oriental Festival highlighted the cultures of Korea, Japan and China.

The festival opened Friday night with SiFu John's Shao Lin Temple of Newark, and the event included the lion dance and a kung fu exhibition of martial arts and weapons.

Following were lectures by Ver Yichen Lu, a graduate student in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, on "Suzhou: The Venice of the East," and by Mark Grimm, a student in the Department of History, on “China's Confucius and Daoism,” as well as video presentations about Korea and Japan.

Saturday's event included a talent contest and a Chinese and Thai buffet catered by Pinang restaurant.

Future events include a South American Festival on Oct. 24 featuring a street dance, lecture series and South American barbecue.

In November the INNternationale will host the Eur-Asia Festival and in December a holiday ball. All events are open to the University community.

Board of advisers

The INNternationale board of advisers includes Araya Debessay, professor of accounting and management information systems in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and co-chair of the UD Diversity and Climate Advisory Commission; Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Professor of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management; Scott G. Stevens, director of the English Language Institute; Michael L. Vaughan, senior assistant dean in the College of Engineering; Qaisar Shafi, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Paul Laux, professor in the Department of Finance.

The INNternationale welcomes any student interested in forming a language partnership with the residents or just coming to visit during the events.

The inn is home to 56 scholars and is open to all non-freshmen students and visiting faculty, providing comfortable, conveniently located, safe and affordable furnished accommodations for either long-term or short-term stay.

Given the Global Initiative of the University's Path to Prominence, Becker said he encourages visitors to gain greater “awareness of our global community.”