Contact: Marina Peters-Newell 277-0525 Carolyn Gonzales 277-5920

February 28, 2003 UNM TO HOST LANGUAGE EXPO The tongues of the world come to the University of New Mexico in the Language Expo 2003 on Saturday, March 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Ortega Hall on the UNM campus. The Language Expo is an opportunity for middle, high school and college students to experience languages such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Greek, Latin and Japanese. Peters-Newell says that 10 languages, and the cultures of the regions where the languages are spoken, will be represented at the Expo. "Students from all over the state are expected to attend and participate," she says. "Although the Expo has a 17 year history, last year was the first time we hosted it at UNM. We had about 500 participants and we hope to expand each year," says Marina Peters-Newell, a lecturer in the department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and event organizer. Students will receive a passport for entrance into a number of activities in a specific language, although they will be encouraged to participate in all language events. Some activities include cultural demonstration classes, folklore performances, movies, games, trivia contests, information scavenger hunts, poetry and poster contests and more. Students who successfully fill their passports will be eligible to win prizes in a drawing. Language teachers are encouraged to give students extra credit for turning in passports as proof of participation. "Learning different languages promotes cultural understanding and global harmony. The Language Expo is an opportunity to expose students to the larger world and to the international community," says Peters-Newell. # # #

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981