By Katelynn Liedtke

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Tom Jackson Building was recently lively with the sounds and smells of Kurdish music and food, as a cultural gala hosted by student members of the Southwest Asian and North African organization, better known as SWANA, had one goal in mind: to foster community. 

Tara Taha, the founder and president of SWANA, expressed how challenging it can be to get students on campus to attend such events, but the recent gala provided an opportunity to share the Kurdish culture with the rest of the campus community.

“It is difficult to push yourself for a nonreligious reason to come to these events. My aim is just to foster community to have these people get to know each other,” said Taha. “There are some hostilities within the community about certain ethnicities, and I just hope, not to solve world problems, but I hope that we can at least on a local level resolve these tensions.”

The event featured Middle Eastern food like falafel and chicken shawarma. Attendees witnessed a Debka dance performed by the student group, ElShamDabkeh, and a student playing the sitar, an Indian plucked stringed instrument. Those in attendance also had the option to be decorated with henna, a natural, plant-based dye originating in North Africa and the Middle East used for body art.

Some arrived at the event wearing cultural clothing and jewelry, creating an overall welcoming and warm environment, even for those who aren’t involved with SWANA. 

Fostering deeper connections

The cultural gala was sponsored by MTSU Engage, a campus program created to build a culture of engaged learning by supporting students’ growth as integrative and reflective thinkers. 

Engage Director Julie Myatt says the program’s goal is for students to make connections between classroom learning and real-life situations. 

“The idea is to get them to consider the connections between all of those, reflect on what they’ve learned, so that they are equipped to communicate that learning to others and also apply what they’ve learned in future contexts,” said Myatt. 

October has been deemed “Engage Month” on the MTSU campus, with a host of events scheduled throughout the month in partnership with the Engage program. 

Lexy Denton, Engage assistant director, said that Engage has funding in its budget to assist organizations in hosting their events, this year providing funding support for approximately 24 events. 

Engage will prioritize events that are free, open to all students, partner with the Engage community, or are interdisciplinary. 

“We strive to be excellent partners to others on campus. Engage Month really is intended to spotlight different programs, different campus units and help students experience what they have to offer,” Myatt said.

Engage not only helps fund these events but also supports their promotion. This year, they are incentivizing students to attend as many Engage Month events as possible for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch 2. All students have to do is attend an event and sign in to be entered. 

Taha said that after her organization sought alternative ways to finance the event, she learned about the funding opportunity with Engage through professors.

“We pulled some funding from some of the departments, and we also had a huge sum from Engage, and I wanted to really thank these departments and thank Engage for that opportunity,” Taha said earnestly. 

Engage Month offers variety of events

Some of the events coming up this month will include:

• “Pause and Connect” presented by the Social Work Department and the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences,taking place at the Academic Classroom Building, Room 130E, on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• “Down the Duck” presented by the Center for Energy and Sustainability and Department of Geosciences, taking place in the McWherter Learning Resource Center, Room 221, on Oct. 20 from 5-7 p.m.

• “Stitch Through History: Embroidery & the Bayeux Tapestry” presented by the Walker Library Collection Development and Management, taking place in the Special Collections Reading Room at the James E. Walker Library on Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• “Taco ‘Bout it: Nutrition Meets Engagement” presented by Health Sciences and the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, taking place at the Ellington Human Sciences Building, Room 106, on Oct. 22 from 2-4 p.m.

And more! More information about other events, including dates, times and locations, can be found on the Engage Month 2026 website.

Journalism major Katelynn Liedtke is a practicum student in the Office of News and Media Relations. Reach her at [email protected].