A taste of the Caribbean came to campus Saturday night when the Caribbean Students Association hosted its first ‘Island Fever’ reggae and hip-hop dance party in the Talley Student Center Ballroom.
The party lasted from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The cost of admission was $7 for non-N.C. State students and $5 for N.C. State students or partiers who brought Caribbean flags. The CSA went as far as Chapel Hill to advertise “Island Fever.”
“We wanted to throw a party to increase people’s knowledge of the Caribbean,” John Leotaud, a sophomore in biomedical engineering, said. “It allows people to experience firsthand what Caribbean people do — party.”
According to Merle Craig, a CSA member and first-year graduate student in post-baccalaureate studies, the NCSU chapter of the CSA was created last October. It has more than 30 members from 10 Caribbean countries.
“We hope ‘Island Fever’ shows a broad group of people what the Caribbean is all about,” Craig said.
According to the CSA Web site, the organization’s purpose is “to increase knowledge and enhance awareness of Caribbean students and all who share an interest in learning about Caribbean societies and cultures.”
“A lot of Caribbean students feel out of place when they come here,” Leotaud said. “Our organization reminds them of home; for me, [the CSA] has made school more enjoyable.”
The week of Sept. 11-15 was Caribbean Students Week. The CSA put on several events to celebrate this week.
“We want to attract a diverse group to experience our diverse cultures,” Joseph Washington, a first-year graduate student in physics, said.
The CSA capped off the week with a Hispanic Heritage Soccer Tournament on Lee Field and the “Island Fever” party on Sept. 16; the soccer tournament was co-hosted with Mi Familia and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.