THE PURPOSES OF V.S.O.U.L. FOR UL STUDENTS
9/18/16V.S.O.U.L. is open to a diverse group of members. They welcome everybody, including people from other schools. They hold many types of events, such as social, volunteering, and cultural. For example, they have game nights, potluck, picnics, sports and even educational trips. For volunteering events, they have bake sales, offered to help rebuild houses for flood victims, and feeding the homeless through Saint Joseph’s Diner. For cultural events, they serve authentic Asian cuisines, cultural dance nights, and lantern crafting.
One of the cultural events that they host is Cultural Night. This event showcases Vietnamese traditional dancing, fashion, music, and delicacies. Cultural Night gives a quick insight on what Vietnamese culture is all about. One of the best ways Cultural Night achieves this is by hosting a fashion show. The fashion show showcases of variety of traditional Vietnamese dresses.
Cultural night. 2016. Photo credit to VSOUL group via facebook.com
Another cultural event is Paper Lantern and Pho Night. For this event, V.S.O.U.L. charges a very small admission fee of $5 for participants who want to experience Vietnamese culture for a good cause. For just $5, people who participate get to enjoy learning how to make paper lanterns and are also treated to a delicious bowl of pho! These paper lanterns are not only beautiful, but are also a traditional part of the Asian culture. Similarly, the delicious bowl of pho is a popular Vietnamese dish. You may wonder why this is all for a good cause. That's because all admission fees goes to charity. For last year's event, all proceeds went to Kids Without Borders.
Students crafting lanterns out of paper. 2015. Photo credit to facebook.com/ULVSO
I took the time to interview the President, the Public Relations Officer, and a member of V.S.O.U.L. I was curious to learn about their purpose in this organization. The first short interview was with Rich Nguyen, the Public Relations Officer. I asked what was the purpose of V.S.O.U.L. His response was, “the purpose for V.S.O.U.L. is to spread the Vietnamese culture around campus and to raise money for their CPP in Vietnam.” CPP stands for Collective Philanthropy Project. The CPP is a collective project used to unify charities gathered by different college organizations to work towards a similar goal. Rich also stated that they “also promote family”. What he meant by this is that “all of (their) members help each other out and talk to each other”.
Interview with the Public Relations Officer, Rich Nguyen, talks about the purpose of the organization. Sept. 21, 2016
The next person I interviewed was Tori Tauzin, a member of V.S.O.U.L, who explained her view on the organization. She stated that she joined mainly for sports because she wanted to play soccer. According to Tori, she said, “As it kind of went on, I started making connections and getting friends.”
Interview with a V.S.O.U.L. member, Tori Tauzin, talks about her experiences in the organization. Sept. 21, 2016
The last person I interviewed was Maxim J. Lim, the president of V.S.O.U.L. He explained how the organization affects the community. He said he wanted to let people know that they can come from different backgrounds and still bond together. The bonding experience is important to V.S.O.U.L. Maxim pointed out that he’s “not even Vietnamese and (he) is the president of V.S.O.U.L.”
Interview with the president of V.S.O.U.L., Maxim J. Lim, who explains how the organization affects the community. Sept. 22, 2016
At V.S.O.U.L., students will be able to communicate and exchange ideas and experiences vital to growth and success of the organization. So if you want to join an organization that values diversity while learning about a culture, the Vietnamese Student Organization at University of Louisiana is right for you.
For more information about V.S.O.U.L., follow them on social media!
https://www.facebook.com/ULVSO/
- v.soull
V.S.O.U.L. members host Thai Tea and Egg Roll Day. 2015. Photo credit to facebook.com/ULVSO
V.S.O.U.L. members host Viet Week - Canes, Pho and Lantern Night. 2015. Photo credit to facebook.com/ULVSO
Students on campus signing up for V.S.O.U.L. 2016. Photo credit to facebook.com/ULVSO
V.S.O.U.L.'s first general meeting in 2016; students signing in for attendance. Photo credit to facebook.com/ULVSO
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