UIndy celebrates culture
The University of Indianapolis held its annual Celebration of the Flags Oct. 7 on Smith Mall.
This year’s celebration marked the 22nd annual flag ceremony for the UIndy campus. The ceremony offers international students an opportunity to share their culture with the campus community through a presentation of flags followed by a buffet of international cuisine appetizers.
From Albania to Zimbabwe, flags from all over the globe were displayed in honor of the UIndy students who hail from those countries.
International students carry flags from their countries at the 22nd annual flag ceremony at UIndy. Photo by Becca Hillenburg.
Mimi Chase, the director of the international division, explained the importance of this annual ceremony.
“The Celebration of the Flags gives us a chance to pause and recognize that while we may come from diverse cultural backgrounds, we are all members of this great community at the University of Indianapolis,” Chase said.
UIndy is home to more than 400 international students who are from 60 different nations.
“For our international population, I think the flag ceremony offers validation that they are valued members of our community,” Kay Gunyon, an international admissions counselor, said.
Associate Professor of Theatre Jim Ream presented the call of nations, recognizing each country from which UIndy students originate. President Beverly Pitts kicked off the ceremony with a recognition of campus diversity and with a reminder for the campus community to be one of acceptance and tolerance.
“We should be a campus that encourages the free exchange of ideas and a culture of respect,” Pitts said.
Pitts said that we are more alike than we are different and that we should make a promise to ourselves that as a community, we will always remain civil.
The Celebration of the Flags was held on Smith Mall. Students wait as each country’s name was called and each flag was presented during the call of nations. Photo by Becca Hillenburg.
“Unwritten” by Natasha Beddingfield was chosen as the event’s theme song this year. Senior and UIndy Student Government President Caitlin Deranek also spoke at the event, explaining the song choice and how it pertained to the celebration.
“One line in the song is ’Live your life with arms wide open.’ To me, it means to be open to opportunities that you never may have considered,” Deranek said. “Flexibility and openness are crucial life skills and can lead you on new and exciting paths.”
Olya Mangusheva, an international graduate student from Ukraine, spoke at the celebration on behalf of UIndy’s international population.
“When we left our homes, whether in China, India, Nigeria, Colorado or Indiana and arrived at the University of Indianapolis, we picked up our pen to write our story,” Mangusheva said. “With each new day, we are writing a new chapter. I want to challenge us all to dare to dream, to remember why we came here and where we are headed.”
Gunyon said that although the celebration is primarily designed to honor international students, UIndy students from as far away as India and as close as Illinois can benefit from this cultural event.
“The ceremony serves as a reminder of the depth and breadth of our international population,” she said. “It’s always amazing to hear the long list of nations represented. I think both groups [international students and American students] were impressed and inspired by the speeches given by our outstanding students.”
