Helen Koutsourades
(845) 494-0623
Best known for his role as Kumar in the film “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” actor Kal Penn will speak at Syracuse University on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center as part of Syracuse Asian Awareness Week at SU.
Tickets-$3 for SU and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty and staff with valid I.D., and $5 for the general public-are available at the Schine Box Office (443-4517).
The event is sponsored by University Union, Kappa Phi Lambda, The College of Arts and Sciences’ Transnational Asian Studies and South Asian Studies programs, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the South Asian Student Association.
Penn will speak about the prejudices and tensions created by racial stereotypes of Asian Americans. He will discuss topics affecting the political landscape and Hollywood’s role in confronting and changing racial discrimination. A Q&A session will follow.
“As an Indian-American actor, Kal Penn can give a different view on race in the entertainment industry,” says Nathan Muller, co-director of performing arts within University Union. “His popularity among students makes him a great addition to Asian week. University Union is proud to have such an educated and admired performer speak to the Syracuse University community.”
Penn is part of an actor’s movement that is educating the public about racial and ethnic stereotypes. During spring 2008, Penn was an adjunct faculty member in the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, teaching the course “Images of Asian Americans in the Media” and a seminar titled “Contemporary American Teen Films.”
In 2002, Penn gained popularity with his role of Taj Mahal Badalandabad in “Van Wilder.” Then, in 2004, he co-starred in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.” In 2006, Penn starred in the film “The Namesake.” According to New York Magazine, Penn is “the world’s most famous America-Indian actor.” Since his big-screen success, Penn has made appearances on the television series “24,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “House,” and starred in the movie sequel “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”
For more information, contact Helen Koutsourades, public relations chair for University Union, at (845) 494-0623 or Helen.Koutsourades@gmail.com.
We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…
Nina Kohn, the David M. Levy Professor of Law and faculty director of online education in the College of Law, was quoted by NBC-4 (New York) for the story “COVID Restrictions Threaten to Disenfranchise Nursing Home Voters.” Kohn, an expert…
Julie Niederhoff, associate professor of supply chain management in the Whitman School, was quoted in the Provisioner Online story “The state of the workforce 2020: covid-19 catalyzes a reckoning.” Niederhoff, an expert in human behavior and operations, says that companies…
Jessica Garay, assistant professor of nutrition and food studies in Falk College, was quoted by Insider for the story “How to reduce lactic acid build up in your muscles during exercise — and why it happens.” Garay, who studies the…
Roy Gutterman, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, was interviewed by WAER for the story “SU Professor Challenges Recent “Censorship” by Social Media.” Facebook and…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
