Campus Christian Center will hold dinner for 150 international students

UA international students from nearly every nation on the globe will not have to go without Thanksgiving dinner this year.

For more than 20 years, the Campus Christian Center has put together a traditional Thanksgiving meal so students from other countries can experience the American holiday.

But this year, as many countries struggle through war, those involved in the event say it holds more importance than ever.

Rev. Dan Hurlbert, a United Methodist minister at the center, said that at each dinner table, two seats are reserved for American students so they can "bridge the gap between cultures" and teach international students about Thanksgiving traditions.

This opportunity is especially important given the current conflict in the Middle East, said history senior Tom Saul, a student at the center.

"We are really in a cultural war," he said. "It's more important than ever to show openness and understanding to all the different cultures here at the university."

This is Saul's third year of work with the event, and he said the event requires the assistance of 40 student volunteers to mash potatoes, decorate tables and cook turkey.

"We have people who are cooking turkeys in their homes," Hurlbert said.

The meal, served tonight at 6, is expected to draw 150 students who otherwise would not have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Students need a ticket to attend the meal, but Dale LaFleur, an adviser at the office of International Student Programs and Services, said she still has a few tickets to hand out.

She added that students can show up without a ticket, and if the center has extra room, it will accommodate them.

LaFleur said international students see the experience as positive since some have never experienced the holiday.

She said some students have host families in town who invite them for Thanksgiving, or they may travel out of town with friends to visit their families. But for others, the weekend will be spent on campus.

"Thanksgiving is a fairly long holiday, and the campus empties out," Hurlbert said "We have the opportunity to teach people why we do this in this country."