Thanks to a bipartisan effort from Indiana senators, members of the federal government will finally do what Indiana natives have been doing for decades — call the state’s residents “Hoosiers.”
Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, announced in a video on his Facebook page that he and Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, convinced the government to change the official term for Indiana natives to “Hoosiers” in the new federal government style guide.
“Hoosiers” will now appear in place of “Indianan” in printed materials for the White House, Congress and other federal agencies, according to the post.
The change has been a long time coming, Donnelly said.
“We’re not delivering world peace, but we’re finally being identified by the federal government as who we are: Hoosiers,” Young said in the video, in which he sat next to Donnelly.
“It’s not just the name of a classic movie. It’s not just what we call IU Athletics,” Young said. “It’s who we are, and it’s my honor to accomplish this with you.”
Both senators were grinning throughout the 30-second video and shook hands at the end.
Some Facebook commenters were not enthused.
“OMG...why are these people wasting time on this?” one user commented. “Focus on jobs and increasing the minimum wage.”
“How much time was spent on this idiotic item!!! Fix the real problems in Indiana please!” said another.
One user, however, offered a more upbeat note.
“Well that’s good because in the 26 years I’ve lived here, I never once referred to myself as an “Indianan!”
Alexa Chryssovergis
