1 2 3 spreading the word CASA shares its heritage at MSU 4 5 6 7 1. CASA members 2. Raven Atisha 3. MSU’s famed Rock 4. Alvin Coda 5. Jeniece Franso and Fabian Gammo 6. Scarlett Akkam and Matthew Thomas 7. Jack Yacoo BY JENIECE FARANSO PHOTOS BY TERRI SHAVER When hearing “Cal — what?” over and over from passersby, the members of the Chaldean American Stu-dent Association (CASA) at Michigan State University realized just how necessary their first-ever Chaldean Day was. Members gathered on April 9 at The Rock, a six-foot boulder often used as a billboard for campus groups that is adjacent to one of the busiest walkways on campus. CASA provided a variety of activities to encourage social interaction with their fellow students, including henna tattoos, names written in Aramaic and hookahs loaned by the Blue Midnight Hookah Lounge. Once a large crowd gathered, Chaldeans demonstrated the khudgah, the traditional dance performed while playing specific music. People from the crowd were delighted and snapped pictures. “Being Chaldean is more than just smoking hookahs and eating baklava,” said sophomore Scarlett Akkam. “We are descendents of the people from Mesopotamia, the very first established civilization in the world.” Sophomore Magen Atisha added to the conversation. “We have tons of relatives and we’re very close to our extended families,” she said. “I have more than 70 first MICHIGAN STATE continued on page 44 MAY2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 43
