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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1999)
ByDaneStickney Staff writer International students looking for an outlet for support and involvement can turn to the International Student Organization. The organization, which has near ly 2,500 members of past and present UNL students, is aimed at helping international students have a more enjoyable stay at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said Guhanand Venkataraman, past ISO president. “ISO is pretty much like the stu dent government but for international students,” he said. “International stu dents can be in ASUN, but ISO is unique to foreigners.” Many international students can be members of culturally specific groups such as the University of Nebraska Malaysian Student Association or the Chinese Students” and Scholars Association. However, students from smaller countries don’t have groups like these because there aren’t enough students to make up an organization. That’s where ISO comes in. “Students from smaller countries without an organization are key members of ISO,” Venkataraman said. “It’s an all-foreign student orga nization. It’s an umbrella organiza tion to bring together all kinds of stu dents from different countries.” Karen Cagley, staff adviser of ISO, said one of the organization’s main goals was to offer activities for international students to get them involved on campus. “Many times, international stu dents get into the studying part of col lege, but we try to offer other options,” she said. “In the years when ISO is really active, international stu dents have a very positive experi ence.” This year, ISO could have three major events including Olympic games, a bazaar and an international banquet. This semester, ISO is planning on holding the ISO Olympics, which consists of athletic competitions between American and international students. Events include table tennis, volleyball and soccer, Venkataraman said. The bazaar is a festival where stu dents from 13 countries sell goods and food from their countries. Venkataraman said the organization planned the event for the spring semester. Cagley said ISO was also plan ning an international banquet in the spring featuring food and fashions from around the world. Venkataraman said ISO was an important organization because it provided a voice for the sometimes forgotten international students. “We give these students an oppor tunity to organize and take part in events,” he said. “It is important that we bridge the gap between interna tional and American students.” MM Something For Everyone candles, and other gift items Adams ~ Lincoln, NE 68504 ~ 465-5652 i iviufii^ v/viv/uiM* xUj hi JL/ziiJUi iiuuiuuuum mm tnuu i I Fiddler explains folk music legacy ■ Speaker discusses the importance of document ing folk music throughout history. By Sara Salkeld Staff writer The spread of folk music, and in turn the spread of culture, was demonstrated by Alan Jabbour on Thursday during a presentation on folk music in Lincoln. Jabbour periodically pulled out his fiddle during the presentation and entertained his audience with toe-tap ping, upbeat sounds. The accomplished violinist and fiddler spoke at a presentation for a joint meeting of the Midwest Archives Conference and the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists. His appearance at the downtown Holiday Inn was made possible by a Nebraska Humanities Council grant. The focus of the speech was on different ways of recording folk music. As former head of the Library of Congress’ Archives of American Folk Songs, as well as founding director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, folk music is Jabbour’s genre. His involvement stems from a lifetime interest in music. He began playing the violin at age 7, and as a college graduate, his inter est turned to fiddling. This led him to study early 19* century fiddle music. As he went about looking for information on fiddle music, he found very little published material. Instead, he learned from the fid dlers themselves, whom he made recordings of. He, too, recorded his playing of the fiddlers’ music. These recordings are now part of the Library of Congress. Jabbour spoke at length about the importance of documentation of folk music throughout history. He said recording older music could bring pieces of American histo ry to other parts of the world. Jabbour used the story of a fiddle tune called “Over the Waterfall” to illustrate this point. Jabbour learned many of the fid dle tunes from a late 19th century fid dler. Jabbour recorded these songs, including “Over the Waterfall,” on vinyl and made 500 copies. On a trip to Hungary that was completely unre lated to folk music, he found that a group of French musicians were familiar with the song. Just 500 copies of the song, dubbed, copied and passed around, made the song internationally known, Jaibbour explained to the 150 archivists and historians who attended the presentation. Elmore Barber, an archivist from Hastings, described Jabbour as “charming, delightful and informa tive.” Ken Thomas, a writer at the University of Missouri, said Jabbour’s fiddling during the presentation brought his ideas closer to home. “The fact that he could whip out his fiddle during a presentation, artists doing art, makes this presenta tion more distinguished,” Thomas said. National Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin, Conductor Monday, October 18, 8pm ‘ / /' — cWV: ; . . ... ■ • TV Jr.y^yr;* - v * # Irakere Spirited ensemble combines traditional Cuban folk music with jazz, salsa, classical and funk. Wednesday, October 20, 8pm Kimball Hall Susan Marshall & Company , . • d The Descent Beckons i Innovative dance piece coni 1 A Lied Cen Friday NE Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New _ funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the irons LTuKe cnamaDle foundation. IQ Additional funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Philip Morris Companies Inc. TEN YEARS Lied Center for Performing Arts t ^ Lincoln, NE Tickets: 472-4747 or 1-800-432-3231 BoxOffice:ll:00AM-5:30PM M-F Website: www.unl.edu/lied/ Lied Center programming is supported by Ihe Friends ot Lied and grants from IheNaSonal Endowment for the Mts,MH-Mnenca Mis ASance and the Nebraska Arts Council. Ml events are made possUeby the Lied Performance Fund which has been established in memory of Ernst F. Lied and his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied.