The Brown & White

Racist remarks at Lehigh after the election may have driven the campus apart. The "Fusion Show" on Friday tried to bring them back together.

The Black Student Union, Asian Cultural Society and Chinese Culture Club held the annual show in Lamberton Hall. The event featured 15 original performances by individual students and student groups.

Fusion consists of performances in everything from spoken word to traditional Indian dance.

The event also had free food and drinks and a T-shirt sale.

Organizers of the show attested to its slogan, "Fostering Unity Staged in One Night," and said that the event's purpose was to highlight campus diversity and bring the community together.

"We're here to celebrate our diversity as well as incorporate different cultures into the Lehigh community," said Karen Choi, '10, one of Fusion's organizers. "Events like this allow students to see the different types of people and cultures that are present on campus."

The show opened with an Indian dance and was followed by performances of Tae Kwon Do, which featured students sparring for the audience. Other acts included "Freestyle Popping," in which Jason Chong popped and locked to Kanye West's "Stronger."

The Fusion show comes amidst a controversial time on Lehigh's campus, when reports of racism, particularly those which have been directed toward black students, have shown up on campus.

"Diversity is lacking on campus, but we have a vibrant community and it's all about coming together because divided we will fail," said Darius Collier, '11, vice president of the Black Student Union and one of the principal organizers of Fusion.

Athena Lim, '11, another one of Fusion's organizers, said diversity can be improved and events like Fusion certainly help.

"This is a lot more than we hoped for," Lim said in the packed Lamberton Hall.

Not everyone shares the belief that Lehigh has issues with diversity.

"I don't see an issue with diversity on campus. This school has enough for everyone to find a part of themselves," said Randi Culter, '12. "There are so many different organizations and if you really want, it seems that if you get enough people together you can start your own."

The event was sponsored by ArtsLehigh, Global Union, Late-Night Lehigh, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Senate.