The Coalition of International Students hosted its sixth annual International Night on Hayden Lawn Saturday, celebrating multicultural students and diversity at ASU.

Students dressed in Indian saris and sampled Middle Eastern dishes as a Latin band set up on the International Night stage. Fabian Lenero, the coalition’s president and business and Mandarin Chinese junior, said the assembling of different cultures is what drives the annual event.

“Tonight, there’s the possibility to meet and talk with people from all over the world,” he said. “You don’t get that anywhere else.”

The club began planning International Night four months ago, Lenero said, anticipating the biggest turnout of any of its events.

“This is our main dish,” he said.

Many international student organizations set up booths at the event for sharing information, but Lenero said the night is designed to encourage conversation, not advertisement.

Mingling at International Night is part of a bigger peace-building picture, Lenero said.

“By talking and interacting and growing understanding between cultures, little by little, we can avoid social conflicts,” he said.

On the main stage, students from the Arab Students Association performed “dabke,” a traditional Middle Eastern line dance.

Dancer and global studies freshman Noor Saied said performing is just one way for a culture to express itself.

“We have the chance to show our heritage and really represent,” she said. “It’s a great way to come, to unite and to learn.”

The event didn’t just cater to international students, as non-international students and other members of the community came out to support multiculturalism on campus.

Cris Matthews, a Tempe resident who attends church on campus, said the ASU community is visibly diverse, but he doesn’t often see international students at other on-campus events.

“Walking around, you see that the campus is very diverse,” Matthews said. “But when you go to sporting events, the students aren’t as diverse. You always see the stereotypical ASU student.”

Matthews said International Night was the first time he had seen an event on campus dedicated to international students.

Education junior Christina Hyduke said as a non-international student, she is aware of the diverse communities but often feels disconnected from them.

“It seems those communities always stick together,” she said. “It’s really nice to see everyone come together here.”

The Institute of International Education released a report last week ranking ASU 18th in the nation for its number of international students. ASU reported 3,549 international students enrolled this fall.

Kathy Hallal, a biology sophomore and events coordinator for the Coalition of International Students, said that the large number of international students deserves to be recognized by the ASU community at large.

“ASU has a huge number of international students. We’re all different, but we’re all people and we all have an obligation to understand and respect each other,” Hallal said. “It’s very important to think outside the box, so you don’t feel sheltered or ignorant.”

Reach the reporter at jessica.testa@asu.edu.