The teachers and students of Huron University College’s Japanese program will be hosting a gathering at the Great Hall on Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. to showcase various traditions of Japanese tradition and culture.

“People interested in studying or visiting Japan or [those] interested in the culture should come,” said Hyeshin Kim, a student taking courses in the program.

“The event is being organized by the teachers and students of the program. The event is open to everybody, and Western students are welcome to take courses in the program,” she said.

“Someone will be there to demonstrate the traditional tea ceremony, which is a symbol of hospitality and treating someone with sincerity,” Kim said, adding the teachers will bring traditional Japanese costumes for students to try on.

“Japanese snacks will be provided,” she added, hinting they may include green tea and rice balls.

“Students that lived in Japan will be there to talk about their experiences,” Kim noted, adding there will be booths where people can learn to write their names in Japanese calligraphy.

—Tim Fish

Catch a frisbee for a good cause

Get ready to catch a greater awareness of homelessness on Nov. 19 in North Toronto.

Starting midnight at the Downsview Hangar, ultimate frisbee enthusiasts from Western will be playing until 8 a.m. to raise money and awareness for Canada’s National Housing Day (Nov. 22).

You do not have to be an expert to play, either; all you need is $30 for registration and some warm clothes to donate to those in need, said Alena Papayanis, co-organizer of the event.

“Anyone with any level of experience can sign up, because teams will be balanced with mixed players of novice to intermediate experience,” she said.

“[The event] is paired to National Housing day as closely as possible. It is timely in the seasonal sense because it is getting colder out lately. The weather reflects the harsh conditions the homeless in Canada must deal with day-to-day,” Papayanis added.

Donations will be split between Habitat For Humanity and Scott’s Mission. To learn more about the events and charities, visit www.tuc.org/ index14682-Forcing+Home+2004.htm.

—Kara Evelyn

Ceremony to remember Holocaust victims

Western’s Hillel is inviting all students to commemorate those who perished in the Holocaust today at 1 p.m. in the University Community Centre atrium.

The Kristallnacht ceremony is held on this date to recognize the beginning of World War II, said Hillel executive Leila Kohn. Kohn explained “kristallnacht” means night of the broken glass, which is symbolic of the Jewish homes and businesses destroyed by the Nazis.

“We will have a Holocaust survivor from London speaking,” Kohn said, adding Dr. Alain Goldschlager, director of the Holocaust Literature Institute at Western, will also make a presentation. “Some children from the Jewish London Day School will be coming to sing songs.”

Kohn also stated the ceremony will close with the shattering of a pane of glass with a hammer. “We do [the ceremony] because we want to remember those who died, and so that all students can gain an understanding of what happened.”

Anyone is welcome, she added.

Western reaches out to Haiti

Western students gave generously last week to Haiti, a country devastated by political instability, poverty and most recently, Hurricane Jeanne.

The Haiti Relief Challenge, run by the University Students’ Council’s food bank in collaboration with the charity commissioner, raised over 7,000 food and clothing items, said Camilla Rogalski, USC food bank coordinator.

“Considering the time frame, it was exceptional,” she said, adding the relief effort occurred all throughout last week.

Rogalski stated several Western students and professors went above and beyond the call of duty to deliver goods for the drive. The health sciences class of Dr. Jenn Irwin gathered 1,600 items in two days, while another professor made a donation of five to six bags of stuffed animals, she said.

The accumulated goods also included 1,000 items donated by the London Food Bank and John Paul II Secondary School.

The relief effort was initiated when a student from Haiti approached the USC for assistance, Rogalski added.

—Sarvenaz Kermanshahi