It’s that time of the year again when everybody and anybody affiliated with IU gathers around the town square to show their school spirit: IU Homecoming.
Rows of people will line up along the parade route, fill the football stadium and clutter the town’s parking spaces for a chance to celebrate the culture and identity the University has come to represent.
As I reflect on the occasion, I can’t help but wonder what this event means to the endless groups whose only moment of significant recognition for the year comes in the form of a float in a parade.
Ethnic and racial minorities are arguably the most vocal underrepresented group on campus. In seeking to be recognized, the Black Student Union will have its inaugural Mr. and Miss BSU competition. While the pageant appears on the surface to be just another cultural event among the Homecoming festivities, for the minority, it is a chance for them to celebrate an identity that is frequently absent from the main stage.
It is an opportunity for other African-Americans to show pride for who they are and what they represent within the realm of IU.
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services Office is using Homecoming as an opportunity to show pride in its identity through community ?education.
Project Homecoming seeks to teach high school educators about the LGBT community by having college students share their high school experiences as a member of the community.
While the LGBT community has made significant progress toward becoming a recognized facet of the University through its affiliation with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, I commend it for viewing this celebration as an opportunity to celebrate its identity through educating others. I understand how these events could alienate others from participating and undermine the purpose of unity Homecoming is seeking to achieve.
However, the very fact that other minorities feel the need to celebrate among themselves due to a lack of representation is a wake-up call that this campus still needs to be improved in terms of inclusivity for all members of the IU community. Homecoming is a great event that reminds all members of the IU community the privilege that is being a part of one of the best research universities in the country.
There is more to Homecoming than school spirit, and there is more to the IU student than cream and ?crimson.
However, we must be cognizant of the fact that, like the rest of the nation, the face of IU is changing. The community must be willing to change along with it.
caheredi@indiana.edu
