By Shelby Townsend
Staff Writer
The student Caribbean Association celebrated its four-year anniversary and Caribbean week at LIU Post during the last week of March.
The club came to Post on March 27, 2012 after a woman named Roxy gathered others interested in learning about, discussing, and celebrating Caribbean culture. According to Shiann Hancock, the president of the club, Roxy wanted a club that “would make the Caribbean students feel a little closer to their countries” and to bring those students together to learn about where they came from.
Caribbean week celebrates the club’s anniversary with various activities from Monday, March 28 through Friday, April 1. Monday was the cake cutting ceremony, celebrating the fourth birthday of the club; Tuesday was a comedy show; Wednesday was bingo night, where multiple winners received a combined total of $175; on Thursday, the group helped out with Take Back the Night; and they capped off the week with a babeque on Riggs Lawn where at least sixty people showed up.
Hancock also said the club hosts movie nights, Caribbean jeopardy, family feud, Jouvert which is a carnival much like the Labor Day parade, and “the infamous pool party.”
According to the club’s vice president, Antoinette Daure, a junior forensic science major who is originally from Jamaica, the club consists of about 15 people.
“I feel appreciated and a part of a community,” Daure said.
Students do not have to be of Caribbean descent to join the club. Hancock is the first American president of the club, and her family does not have any ties to the Caribbean. “I have become completely infatuated with the culture in all aspects,” she said. She added the club is open to anyone who would like to join and that it “impacts others by making them feel closer to their country,” and it also brings awareness to students who may not know about Caribbean culture.
It is because of this diversification that Hancock said the club has grown over that past four years and she described the club’s events as “becoming bigger and better.”
The Student Caribbean Association meets biweekly in the Hillwood cinema during common hour. Duare described the meetings as both social and educational with discussions about Caribbean culture and serious topics like poverty, and games and skits showcasing Caribbean culture. Hancock also added that she like to diversify the topics and discuss other world problems to help draw more members. Meetings and events are open to the public and members should attend at least 75 percent of the meetings or programs.
As for the club hosting any more events by the end of the year, Hancock said that Caribbean Week is usually the last event of the semester but “we may surprise the campus with some- thing to end the year with.”
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