By David Li, bostonese.com
When a group of students from Suffolk University Chinese Students and Scholars’ Association (CSSA) planned for a Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 9, 2013, they didn’t expect Blizzard Nemo would arrive in Boston without invitation on that day. They had to reschedule it to Feb. 12. Suffolk University president James McCarthy and his wife showed up unexpectedly to join the Lunar New Year party and expressed his best wishes for Chinese students in the Year of Snake.
The Chinese Lunar New Year celebration was held on the 9th floor of the 73 Tremont Building, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Feb. 12, 2013. Lion dance, Tai Chi, Guzheng and other performances brought smiles to everyone in the audience. Some students also enjoyed Chinese Lantern Riddle Games, and many were give red envelopers with money inside which is a Lunar New Year ritual in many parts of China. Dozens of students and faculty members, including Prof. Da Zheng of English Department and Prof. Ron Suleski of The Rosenberg Institute which was one of the co-sponsors of the event, attended the Tuesday afternoon’s celebration.
Located on Beacon Hill in downtown Boston, Suffolk University is right at the center of political power in Massachusetts. It has a long history of attracting international students from China. In 1994, with the help from Nancy Stilwell (daughter of General Joseph Stilwell), Suffolk University and Sichuan International Studies University jointly founded the Stilwell School of International Studies in Chongqing city, China.