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For over 30 years, Syracuse University has held its “International Thanksgiving Celebration” in Goldstein Auditorium

This year’s celebration will look different, as SU will be hosting the event on Thursday at 7 p.m. over Zoom. The event is open to all international students who are staying in Syracuse during Thanksgiving break, and for many it is an introduction to the American autumn tradition.

“It is quite hard for anyone to hold gatherings like last year,” said Ze Zeng, a sophomore from Beijing. “It’s understandable and reasonable that the school is putting it online, and I am very grateful that under these very difficult circumstances, the school is still putting this kind of event together.”

Unlike most SU students from the U.S., many international students are not able to return home for the short break. This year, especially with COVID-19 travel restrictions, international students may not get to travel home at all during the school year.

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Past International Thanksgiving celebration coverage:

• SU’s 35th annual International Thanksgiving Celebration will be held tonight
• SA to help students on campus for Thanksgiving break
• Thanksgiving celebration to introduce international students to American holiday

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Students will start off the event by picking up their individually packaged Thanksgiving meals provided by SU Food Services in two different locations on campus — the Life Sciences Atrium and the Inn Complete — between the times of 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Even though the event is virtual, the “highlight of the event” will be no different, said Juan Tavares, director of Center for International Services. The tradition of carving the turkey will be pre-recorded then presented over Zoom.

Opening remarks from Chancellor Kent Syverud and Ruth Chen, Syverud’s wife and a professor of practice in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, will start the evening followed by clerics who will do the benediction and implication, or the prayers at the end of the service, Tavares said.

Each randomly assigned table has a host — usually a faculty member, staff member or alumnus — who facilitates a conversation about Thanksgiving with the students. This year, students will meet with their table hosts in Zoom breakout rooms to continue the tradition, but since they haven’t reached 500 students yet, Tavares said he is uncertain about how many students will attend.

“Nothing is scripted so it’s an open conversation, but it’s mostly about the tradition of Thanksgiving,” Tavares said. “The talking points for the table host is to talk about how they remember Thanksgiving growing up in the United States and what it means to them.”

Yuhsun Peng, a doctoral student from Taiwan, attended the event in 2019 for the first time. The event is an inclusive opportunity for international students, she said. Even though she went with her Taiwanese friends and her boyfriend, they met international students they did not know before.

Although she won’t be attending this year due to her busy schedule, she enjoyed the celebration last year because the food was great, she said. She will try to attend the event next year, if her schedule allows.

“I also appreciate that the school is having this kind of event,” Peng said. “Where international students can sit together with each other and talk to each other when they are far away from home.”

Published on November 18, 2020 at 11:08 pm