I picked up last week’s edition of the Collegian expecting to find an article about the Festival of Cultures held at the HPER on Friday, April 7. There was no such article on the front page?so I kept looking ? and looking ? and looking, until finally! On page 10, there was a small little blurb in the upper right-hand corner.

I actually missed it the first time I flipped through the paper, perhaps because I expected a number of photos and a fantastic heading. But instead of an articulate and educational article about the festival and all it entails, there was but one photo and an article that was relegated to the Arts & Entertainment page next to two concert reviews and a bunch of ads. Not cool.

I am all for the sports coverage and the articles that sing the praises of SDSU students’ achievements at national competitions-that’s what the Collegian should be about. But in this case, something went seriously wrong.

The Festival of Cultures is an annual event which brings in thousands, yes, THOUSANDS, of people, young and old, to the Frost Arena to share in a day of cultural fun, food and awareness. This year alone there were over 3,000 people in attendance! That’s a pretty big deal.

But more importantly, the extensive preparation and grueling production of this annual event is done by SDSU students – not as part of a class, but out of their own dedication.

The article included in the April 11 Collegian indicated (in the very last paragraph) that “more than 40 student organizations and cultural groups set up displays.” OK ? 40 student organizations … at the bare minimum of 10 students per organization, that means the Festival of Cultures involved the hard work, time, and dedication of at least 400 SDSU students. I think that deserves a lot more recognition than the top right-hand corner of page 10.

No mention – other than the very last sentence – made any significant mention of the 23 different food booths set up at the festival, many of which served as lucrative fundraisers for student organizations on campus.

In short, I feel that the Collegian dropped the ball on this one. It should, perhaps, put a little time and effort into covering stories that involve and/or are of interest to a wider segment of SDSU students. It’s a shame that such an educational and enlightening experience went all but unnoticed by the Collegian.

Particularly in a week devoted to diversity, the Collegian really should have paid more attention to a festival celebrating the various cultures from which all students come.

Stacy Chidaushe