OU RUSSIAN-SPEAKING STUDENTS SHARE
FOOD, CULTURE WITH NORMAN COMMUNITY

Katerina Tsetsura, RUSSA faculty advisor
Tel.: 405-325-4184, 405-361-4139
Email:  tsetsura@ou.edu

Norman, Okla. – The University of Oklahoma Russian-Speaking Student Association (RUSSA) welcomed OU students, faculty and Norman citizens to the first ever Russian-speaking cultural night Friday at the University of Oklahoma.

More than 70 people filled the OU Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center to share Russian and other ethnic food, learn interesting facts about Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine and watch performances by RUSSA members.

“Our organization is very young but very ambitious,” Irina Lykina (native of Russia), an accounting student and Vice-president of RUSSA said. “We wanted to share our cultures and get people interested in our multiple ethnic backgrounds. We all come from different countries, but the Russian language and childhood common experiences unite us.”

Guests were surprised to find out that Armenia is smaller than Oklahoma, Ukraine is one of the world’s main centers of sugar production, and in the past 30 years the world’s largest oil reserves have been found in Kazakhstan. RUSSA members shared that their countrymen are leaders in heavyweight boxing: Oleg Maskaev, Kazakhstan, is a WBC champion; Nikolay Valuev, Russia, is a WBA champion; Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine, is an IBF and IBO champion; and Sergei Lyakhovich, Belarus, is a WBO champion. “Do not mess with us,” one of the members joked in response.

RUSSA served a variety of Russian salads, Ukrainian meat and potatoes, Kazakh rice and meat and ethnic desserts and drinks. Many guests contributed to the potluck, including members of the OU Russian Club and PANAM association.

Tsetsura sisters sang Russian folk songs, Dr. Yevgeniy Slivkin, an instructor of Russian, read his poetry, and Lykina and Aliya Urazimanova danced to famous pop-band Tatu. “We performed with all our hearts, and I think people who attended our event could really feel it,” Urazimanova (native of Kazakhstan), a business management student and a treasurer of RUSSA said.

“It was fantastic! I truly enjoyed performances,” Eirasmin Lokpez-Cobo, an OU mass communication graduate student said.

“Because of RUSSA, we can socialize together and invite other students and Norman community members celebrate Russian-speaking cultures with us,” Maksym Kovalov (native of Ukraine), a graduate student in political sciences and RUSSA president said.

“We are very impressed how active this small, young organization is in bringing Russian and other cultures to Norman. I think it is essential to let community know how truly diverse OU students are and how many great talents they have. We will be happy to support RUSSA’s cultural events in the future,” Lin Goldston, an international programs advisor of the OU international student services said.

Russian-Speaking Student Association (RUSSA) was created in the fall 2005 at OU. The mission of the student organization is to promote Russian-speaking cultures to the University of Oklahoma and Norman community and to unite Russian-speaking OU students, faculty and staff.