University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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From Row: Nelotar AgharaMml, Nedda Mehdiszdeh, Bahareh Aslani Row 2 Anoosheh Mazhari. Manam Ashtiani, Leila Hekmati, Mani Khavajian, Reza Abidian, Fartiud Agharahimi, Ghactef Qader. Sonia Housepian, Afsaneh Mehran, Farhad Ameri Row 3: Hamed Khalkhali, Kevin Zanjani. Idin Mot- edayeri, Mahsid Pirzadefi, Sherene Arbabi, Sheila Rubbani, Negin Salmasi, Yasmin Naghash, Sna Joorabchi, Alireza Aminlari, Rahul Sumant, Ehsan Rahimy. FVofesor Shayan Atshar, Rahul Thampi Back Row: Joseph Salazar, Arta Lahiji, Kambiz Vahabzadeh, Danush Daneshvar. Kambiz Daneshvar, Amin Farokhrani, Baback Vaziri, Maani Farrehi, photo courtesy PSA Association The Persian Student Association (PSA) began in the late 1980s and was recently revived around 1997. Composed of mostly undergraduates, PSA existed to sponsor Persian cultural and social events. The organization operated under the belief that it was important to provide an outlet with which students could gain a greater under- standing of Persian culture. Mahshid Pirzadeh, a senior in Industrial and Operations Engineering, holds this belief to be true and stated, We take great pride sharing our culture with campus through the various events we plan and participate in. PSA was a non-religious volunteer student organization. As such, members strove to support fellow students at the University as well as in the surrounding community. By Kim Schaich The Persian Student Association ' s five-member executive board was responsible for planning the organization ' s events. The biggest event for PSA was their Annual Culture Show, featuring skits, dances, and musical acts. Attendance at the PSA Culture Show reached 1,000. Another event PSA participated in was the Tour of the Middle East, which provided insight into the various cultures in the Middle Eastern region. Costumes, art, and informational displays combined with food booths and performances to give those interested in Middle Eastern cul- ture first-hand experience without traveling thousands of miles. From Row: Ling Chen, Kate Eklund, Hannah Enright Charlae Davis. Chris MacDonald-Dennis Row 2: Alycia Welch. Anna Skinner, Jennifer Reeve. Preetha lyengar, Art Aurora, Jie Liu. Michelle Eng Row 3: Carly Rubenzahl. Sarah Miller. Katy Trudeau. Tim Reed, Ann Coulouris Row 4: Saad Siddiqui. Derek Rickardson. Erik W. Cdegrove. Jordan Batmanghelichi, Meghan Jarpe Back Row: Tara D. Sharma. Genie Lomiel, Greta Halbert C. TectjosuJoruma photo Serve ORGANIZATIONS 201

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Frint Row: Elizabeth Kaplan, Kimberty Spitz, Joanna Wu. John Kim, Bnan Tracy, Tony Du Row 2: Knsti Cooper, Lindsey Moore, Amy Erskine. Julie Van Helden, Courtney Klein, Yuko Konishi, Ann Williams Back Row: Alexander Johnson, Stuart Weissman, Chns Grubb, David Adler, Bhargav SnPrakash, Jeffrey Miller, Scot Corson. Akshay Tanna, Sanjay Tamhane, Michael Davis, R. McTear photo Club Front Row: Ayana Richardson, Charity McClain, Regina Webb. Back Row Jade Curry, Kashara Burk, Jason Wilson, Julian Williams, Jahmal Williams Photo Courtes-v Carl Wolf Studios ront Kow: Dhavaf Mehta, Divya Parambi, Deepa Sawlani, Supama Mandal, Nimisha Srivastava, Ravinder Kaur Back Row: Shalini Gangara- mani, Ashish Deshpande. Niktiil Joshi, Shrihan Sathe, Sachin Mittal, Amba- lavanan Jayaraman, Kunal Aggarwal. Sidharth Sivasaiiam, C. Tedjasufcmona photo The Indian Students Association (ISA) was composed of 300 active members on campus. ISA strove to enrich the cultural atmo- sphere at the University through the celebration of Indian customs and values. In hopes of serving the Indian community, ISA planned many events each year to expose members and the community as a whole to Indian culture. A sophomore in engineering, Divya Parambi describes her experience, The ISA has made me even more proud of my rich cultural heritage by continuously celebrating the customs and values. Annual events began with Diwali, an Indian festival of lights. Taking place during the fall semester, Diwali was one of the biggest events for ISA and provided cultural shows, traditional prayers, an Indian dinner, and a dance party to Indian tunes. The winter semester was kicked-off with Tarang. Tarang was celebrated on the first Friday of the winter semester and included traditional Indian dances. Holi was the Indian festival of color and was celebrated in the spring. This event was filled with games and competitions including Rangoli, a traditional Indian design. Face painting, Hindi Karaoke, an Indian dinner and a dance party were also part of this event. As an active organization throughout the year ISA helped make the University a comfortable home for its members. ZUU MlCHIGANENSlAN

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During Festifall. Student Alumni Council members Niraj Pate). Uz Haynes. and Kevin Coles set up a table to promote their organization. The group handed out water bottles to students interested in joining. photo courtesy Student Alumni Council FUTURE ALUMNI TODAY By Kim Schaich The Student Alumni Council (SAC) was a student organi- zation composed of about seventy members within the University ' s Alumni Association. They met every other Sunday at the Alumni Center in order find ways to build lifelong relationships between stu- dents and the University. This was accomplished by strengthening ties between the students and alumni in order to build pride in the Uni- versity ' s established tradition of excellence. Senior history major Jim Notter said, The most unique part of being in SAC is that we get to work closely with the Alumni Association and see how it works. SAC helped coordinate activities like Parents Weekend. For this event they planned activities for Friday night, October llth, and the brunch on Saturday, October 1 2th, before the football game, and then found fun things for our parents to do on Saturday night. The plans for Homecom- ing included several Diag days and a pep rally before the football game. To organize the Student Leadership Connection, they worked with the Student Alumni Leaders to plan a brunch where students and alumni talked about life after college. SAC could also be found participating in intramural sports and finally relaxing at their annual retreat Michigania, in northern Michi- gan. Other events included Rock Bowl, hay rides, and laser tag. In the spring, they presented the Student Legacy Award at the Michigan Leadership Awards Ceremony. Members considered SAC a rewarding experience because they worked to improve the quality of student life. Members had the advantage of forming relationships that could aid them in future endeavors. The organization hoped that future alumni would recognize their important influence on the University. ZUZ MlCHIOANENSl IAN