kids dance jasmine flower 2017 Purdue Spring Festival Gala (video)

The Chinese Year of the Rooster recently was commemorated with a colorful program atPurdue University Northwest’s Alumni Hall in Hammond.

The event, PNW Chinese Spring Festival, was sponsored by the PNW Chinese Student Association, PNW Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life, International Affairs Office, Multi-Cultural Campus Council and the Northwest Indiana Chinese School.

"A few years ago we had a Chinese exchange student living with us and she connected with a few of the Purdue students," said Dionne Taylor, of Munster. "That’s how we found out about this yearly New Year party, and we’ve been coming ever since."

peakers and presentations were on the agenda. Included in the entertainment portion of the program were musical segments, such as vocal selections, dance numbers and the playing of Chinese instruments.

Yan Shi, who is involved with PNW’s Friendship Program, showcased her talents on the zither. Her friends — the Koutz family of Highland — were there to cheer her on.

"We’ve been teaching Yan about our culture here in America, taking her to sporting events and other things," Talia Koutz said. "When this New Year event came around, she invited us to come here and learn about her culture."

The New Year event introduced traditional Chinese culture and saw people gather to celebrate and contribute to a good relationship between faculty/staff and students, especially Chinese students, according to PNW Chinese Student Association Advisor and Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Shuhui (Grace) Yang.

Visitors also had the opportunity to engage in games, contests and a kung fu show.

Purdue University has the second largest international student population among U.S. public universities and is fourth overall, according to the Institute of International Education.

The celebration of the Chinese New Year, aka Chinese Spring Festival, began at Purdue University Calumet 11 years ago and has continued with the change to PNW to help the Chinese student population feel more at home. Many of the school’s foreign students haven’t lived abroad before and the activities of this festival were a win-win situation for both the students and the local community.

"We have nothing to lose and everything to gain when we attend cultural events like this," James Kinston of Hammond, said as he listened to children from the Northwest Indiana Chinese School sing "Best Wishes from the Children." "I live near this campus and the Chinese students are our neighbors, so it makes sense for all of us to know what goes on in each other’s lives. This New Year celebration is a great opportunity to do this."

Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.