By Sabrina Bush Staff writer
Susquehanna has adopted a unique non-profit organization dedicated to spreading Italian heritage, while bettering the multicultural community, and is the first university in history to do so.
The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, OSIA, is headed by Giosue Bochicchio, a junior finance major from Wexford, Pennsylvania.
He created the club to commemorate his grandmother, an Italian immigrant. “I’ve always been told I was Italian,” Bochicchio said. “But it was only when my grandmother got sick that I began to think about what that truly meant.”
Susquehanna’s OSIA is the school’s first university-based chapter; it ultimately aims to preserve Italian heritage and language, as well as establish a sense of global citizenship.
To embrace these objectives, OSIA and the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma will be showing “Miracle at St. Anna,” on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Faylor Hall.
The film tells the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during World War II. The film is a testament to Black History Month and the strength of human compassion.
This movie demonstrates the compassion shown between the Italians of Tuscany, Italy and the Buffalo Soldiers in World War II.
After the movie concludes there will be an open discussion for those in attendance that focuses on global citizenship.
While OSIA’s efforts focus largely on Italian culture, there is room for diversity.
“You really don’t need to be Italian to join,” Bochicchio said. “One of our newest members is Cambodian—she just loves the culture.”
Community service is a fundamental part of OSIA, which is why its members are currently collecting non-perishable items and clothing for the needy.
These donated items are to be placed in the designated boxes around campus.
One future project plan is for the group to provide services to Saint Pius X Catholic Church in Selinsgrove.
“Faith is a huge part of Italian culture,” Bochicchio said.
OSIA is comprised of 35 members, who typically meet once a week on Thursday nights.
In March, the organization’s national chapter president, as well as its state chapter president, will be on campus to attend an initiation ceremony for new members.
Recruitment for this semester has ended, but anyone interested in participating in the fall semester should get an application form from Giosue Bochicchio and submit it to OSIA’s national chapter before the deadline.
For more information about OSIA, students can visit their Facebook page titled, “Sons & Daughters of Italy in America- Susquehanna Chapter #2993.”
