Photos and Story by Russell Lindquist
GROSSMONT COLLEGE- The diversity of this college’s student population was on display when the annual Fall Festival was celebrated in the Main Quad, Nov. 2-3.
Circle K Club, Grossmont College Art and Design, Muslim Student Association, Challenge Club, Japan Club, Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and the College of St. Isidore were among the clubs and groups which participated in the festival.
Circle K Club, sponsored by Kiwanis international, is a collective that encourages college students to contribute to the community by helping with local schools and hospitals, and with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
Also, the Circle K Club helps with many other events, such as the Diabetes Walk and the Rock n’ Roll Marathon.
Challenge Club is a Christian study group that meets every Tuesday in Room 525 of Building 55 from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. Presently “Crazy Love” is the lesson as students eat lunch.
The Art and Design Club held an Opportunity Drawing (“like a ‘raffle’ but legal,” according to President Jack White) during the festival. Prizes included paintings by club members. The club meets every Wednesday, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 274 of Building 24..
The Muslim Student Association lists as its chief goal the education of Muslim and non-Muslim students about Islam.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding about Islam,” said Club VP Dyari Qadir.” We have a lot of free pamphlets and CDs …for example, about Jesus: he is a prophet in Islam. If you do not believe in Jesus you are not actually Muslim.”
Additionally, she said, “Many people think Muslim women are oppressed, and do not have a voice; but the opposite is true! When she covers , for example: it is her choice, to please God, not a man, not her husband.”
The Muslim Student Association meets every other Tuesday, usually at 12:30pm, in Building 36, Room 352.
Japan Club members discuss Japanese culture, manners, speech, food, film and clothes, according to Melissa Angland, the president. It meets every Wednesday around 4:15 p.m.
Some members are learning the Japanese language; others know it; but neither is necessary. Just show up, she said.
Rebecca Morey, president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgendered and Straight Student Union(LGBTSSU), said, “the union is about being a safe place for LGBT people and straight supporters to meet and have discussions. Primarily, we want equality.
“We hope to have a drag king/queen pageant in December, some of the proceeds of which will be given as charitable donations” for raising awareness of the need for suicide prevention among homosexuals, she said.
“Also, we are raising awareness to stop gay-bashing. The club is relatively young and still seeking to raise awareness of the club, in order to organize future events, demonstrations, etc.”
VP Tina Howell and President Diedrea Lewis of Phi Theta Kappa honor society attended the festival. Howell emphasized a planned competition between the debate teams of Grossmont College and Palomar College. The topic: “Democratization of information: power, peril, promise.” To join Phi Theta Kappa, students need a minimum 3.5 GPA.
The College of St. Isidore is an “International Medieval Studies Club,” according to Thomas Delany, president of the Grossmont chapter. The club’s booth displayed various garb, board-games and food.
For more about the College of St. Isidore, go online to the Society for Creative Anachronism (www.sca.org), and search ‘Kingdom of Caid.’
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Lindquist is a student in Media Comm 132.
