Climbing the stairs of the Marriott Library and walking the quiet and mostly desolate concrete path up to the Union, students could find a serene group of recent arrivals from India on Saturday evening, welcoming each other to Salt Lake City.
The Indian Students Association provided hamburgers, chips and salsa and a couple of Indian dishes to help new students adjust to the scenery, meet one another and to further establish community.
Indian Student Association President Karthik Ramanathan was on hand to answer questions, as was president of the Indian Forum of Utah, Krishnachandra Dodballapur.
Both offered suggestions for contacts to find jobs in the surrounding area and meet and greet members of the community who share a similar background.
Karthik also assured, however, that the group was wide open to membership. Any student interested in joining can by simply completing a request for membership, which can be accomplished via e-mailing the group through its Web site at clubs.asuu.utah.edu/isa.
About 40 to 50 new members of the already 500-person group sat in a reverent circle, with smiles and laughter beneath the shady trees of the free speech area in the Union patio.
The meeting was scheduled to end with a bowling competition open to all association members, along with a presentation of the trophy for the match.
John Boyack