Beginning today, Penn State's Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) will host the first events in a series being held to celebrate Theme Week, a week dedicated to promoting diversity at Penn State.

Vernon Wall, a nationally recognized lecturer on the issues of social justice and leadership issues, will be on campus to speak to students at 7 tonight in the HUB Auditorium.

Wall's presentation, titled "One Better World," will touch on issues of identity and how these identities transform into needed knowledge to be agents of change on campus and in the world.

Jason Manoharan, president of the MGC, said he hopes to see the auditorium filled to capacity because Wall's speech has an important message for all Penn State students.

"He believes that to be a good leader, you have to know yourself first before you can make changes on the outside," Manoharan said.

In addition to this free event, Wall will also facilitate several workshops throughout the day with members of various student groups.

These workshops will explore issues such as the job hunt for graduate students as well as how students can get involved on campus.

Wall's visit isn't all that the MGC is doing in hopes of raising awareness about diversity on campus.

Arindam Biswas, vice president of standards for MGC, said the council will also host a date auction at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Pollock Rec Room.

"We're a small organization so it's not always easy for us to raise funds," Biswas said.

"But our goal is to make the Penn State community more aware of what we're doing."

Unlike last year's event, members of the MGC said this year's Theme Week has grown to span almost two weeks.

It has also gained momentum from the help of the other greek councils at Penn State, such as the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, who have helped to market the events.

The series of events making up Theme Week will culminate next week with the MGC's showcase at 10 p.m. on Nov. 17 in the HUB-Robeson Center's Alumni Hall.

Here, the various fraternities and sororities that compose the MGC will have the opportunity to demonstrate their identities through a cultural show of dances, music and presentations.

"This is another way for other greek people and the general public to find out what the MGC is all about," Biswas said.

Raj Pathak (senior-materials science and engineering), who represents his fraternity Delta Sigma Iota as a delegate on the MGC, said several members of his organization will be performing a five-minute dance to help represent the diversity within MGC.

"Theme Week is a way to promote diversity, and I think it's important for people to be aware of the different cultures that are out there," Pathak said.

Manoharan, who said finding information about diversity on campus is often difficult, said the MGC is a fairly new organization but he hopes to see its events grow in the future.

"As a multicultural greek, I think it's an obligation to share this message with Penn State," Manoharan said.