Heritage Week took place from April 2 to April 8 and consisted of a series of programs, speakers and discussions with the goal of reflecting on issues of global society.

According to UMASS Amherst’s College of School and Behavioral Sciences, “heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture… [and] should be, the subject of active public reflection, debate, and discussion…of individuals, groups, communities, and nations.”

Iona College highlighted this statement in three of the issues discussed this past week: the Syrian refugee crisis at Hands Around Iona, climate change at IC Green’s National Geographic Documentary event and Dr. Bhaswati Sengupta’s economics discussion on the measurement of progress in global poverty.

The 11th annual Hands Around Iona took place on Tuesday. A philanthropy is chosen every year to reflect on in a large circle while holding hands in solidarity for the event. The event began with a performance by the pipe band then extended to senior Olivia Fargiano, who welcomed everyone to the event.

Student Government Association (SGA) senior Senior Kayla Kosack spoke about the Afya Foundation that donates medical supplies and equipment to Syrian refugees and was the foundation that Hands Around Iona was supporting. President Dr. Joseph E. Nyre spoke about Iona’s service role in the world.

“We were all once refugees in this country,” Nyre said.

Senior Kelvin Najarro sang Andra Day’s inspirational “Rise Up” while everyone held hands. With this, the students, ranging from athletes to Campus Ministers raised over two hundred dollars for the cause.

IC Green presented “Priceless,” a National Geographic documentary on the effects of climate change both on animals and humans on Wednesday.

The increased amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is causing crazy weather patterns, resulting in floods, melting polar ice caps and droughts, according to the film. The film provided an example by looking at half a million hypothetical elephants. If CO2 levels stayed the same, increasing every year without the implication of renewable resources, then the elephants would be extinct within the next fifteen years.

IC Green’s discussion afterwards explained that by stemming from the young generation, advocacy and solutions could be produced. One solution that was introduced was carbon taxing where the goal is to alter the behaviors of companies releasing excessive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Similar to smoking cigarettes, a higher tax provides less incentive to perform the act, according to IC Green.

Dr. Sengupta, economics professor, described the United Nation’s number one sustainable development goal to transform the world by 3030, which is no poverty, on Thursday. She explained that extreme poverty is not only measured by living below two dollars a day, but by living without access to education, clean water and medical assistance. By using graphs and statistics, Sengupta showed how the world has drastically decreased these percentages to 10 percent living below the poverty line as opposed to 50 percent due to constant efforts to provide crucial resources.