As most Iowa State students know, there are a lot of “weeks” and “months” in honor of certain events on campus.

There’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Week Without Violence … the list goes on and on.

Sometimes it seems like there are so many of these commemorative events that they can almost lose their significance to students.

However, take note, because another very important weeklong celebration is about to kick off.

International Week ’99, which is sponsored by the ISU International Student Council, starts today.

It features, among other things, a global food fest with delicious dishes from around the world, several seminars on hot and timely issues such as immigration laws in the United States and U.S. foreign policy and the media, and a cultural display.

There also will be an international movie titled “The Killer” presented by the Student Union Board.

In a town where it’s difficult enough to get mainstream movies, an opportunity for a little bit of culture should be something that every ISU student wants to check out.

Unfortunately, not many ISU students care enough to learn about the world outside of the one they reside in.

It’s events such as International Week ’99 that give students the opportunity to learn about other cultures — it’s the perfect outlet to ask questions and become educated for students who might be too embarrassed or afraid to do so at other times.

International students are a big part of the ISU community.

According to a Daily article published earlier in the semester, international student enrollment is on a consistent track.

This is reassuring news, since the never-ending tuition hikes can hit international students harder than almost anyone else, with catastrophic events such as the Asian financial crisis.

As many students already know, an education at a university is more than sitting in a lecture hall.

It’s about learning about others, and in turn, learning more about yourself.

So go to the global food fest, attend a seminar and learn about the issues or check out the workshop on becoming a cultural explorer.

Take a little time out of your hectic schedule to learn more and celebrate either your own or other students’ cultures and backgrounds.

Because despite what any ISU administrator might say, that is the only way we’re going to become the best land-grant university in the nation.