'Hawaiian Day' party flooded by cultural controversy wave (Univ. S. Dakota)

[mountaineer]

'Hawaiian Day' party flooded by cultural controversy wave
Adam Sabes
Mississippi Senior Campus Correspondent
Today at 5:01 AM EDT

*    The University of South Dakota Student Bar Association faced criticism over a planned "Hawaiian Day" party.
*    The university president has launched an investigation to determine whether free expression policies were violated.

The Student Bar Association at the University of South Dakota says it was pressured to change the name of its “Hawaiian Day” party because it violates USD’s policy on inclusiveness.

According to the Argus Leader, a student submitted an essay to the USD law school administration, who then advised the Student Bar Association to change the name of the event.

“It was determined that these are culturally insensitive by the administration after doing research based off of the essay written by the initial complainant"   

The SBA changed the name of the event to “Beach Day” and then sent a message to their members stating that the dress code would still be the same, which was floral shirts and leis, according to the report. A second message followed, however, stating that the leis would no longer be part of the event due to complaints by the law school administration surrounding the inclusiveness of the leis.  ...

USD’s Director of Marketing Communications and University Relations Michelle Cwach said to the newspaper that the interim law school administration advised the SBA not to hand out leis because it could be seen as inappropriate, given it is an item of cultural significance.

But, while law school administration did advise the SBA not to hand out leis, they weren’t told the flowery necklaces couldn’t be worn.

On Saturday, University of South Dakota President Sheila Gestring said she would be opening an investigation into the law school’s decision about the “Hawaiian Day” party.  ...

Full story
 

[rustynail]

Stick to your own culture have a 10 below zero or Snow Daze party.

[mountaineer]

It seems fairly obvious the kids in South Dakota just wanted to have a little fun, trying to get through another cold South Dakota winter.

According to Wikipedia:

Lei (/leɪ/) is a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of affection. This concept was popularized through tourism between the Hawaiian Islands and the continental United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.

From another site:

Today, leis are used for a wide range of occasions and any type of lei can be worn by anyone.   ...

Today, modern Hawaii has kept the lei as a visible and intrinsic part of its daily life. Many types of flowers and plants are used to create the modern lei, and many different techniques are used in order to create them. Today, lei makers use flowers from anywhere in the world and use them together to create the best quality leis that are beautiful as well as long lasting.

Of today’s amazing lei creations, some of the most common ways that flowers are being incorporated into them are by using many types of orchids in leis. Today’s leis also use fragrant blossoms from India, Mexico and anywhere else that beautiful blooms grow. New techniques for creating leis have come from around Polynesia, and many new nuts and seeds have been introduced into the process. ...

Heaven forbid we "appropriate" a symbol of love and affection. But wait, aren't the Hawaiians "appropriating" Indian and Mexican flowers for their leis? Oh, the humanity!

[Sanguine]

Whose culture are they appropriating?  Tourists?

[mountaineer]

The official tourism site for the Hawaiian Islands says:

Flower lei are appropriate gifts for special occasions such as a birthday or graduation. It is also the appropriate way to welcome visitors.