The More the Merrier
Addition of multi-cultural and religious holiday traditions to the Grand Illumination
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News
By Leigh Cupitt
Rotunda Reporter
The annual lighting of the holiday tree will take place Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Grand Illumination. The event will begin at 5:15 p.m. under the Rotunda in Ruffner Hall. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend this spectacle of lights, tradition and refreshments. However, this year's holiday tree celebration will be accompanied by a collection of items representing winter traditions of different cultures and religions. This change in Longwood's display of holiday decorations is a result of the growing diversity on campus, along with a series of articles in The Rotunda last year about the "holiday tree" versus "Christmas tree" controversy. Nonetheless, calling it a holiday tree does not necessarily make it inclusive of other cultural and religious holiday celebrations. As a public institution of higher learning, Longwood felt it had the responsibility of acknowledging the diverse religious beliefs of its students, under the constitutional mandate of separation of church and state.
The exclusion of diverse cultural and religious traditions during previous holiday seasons at Longwood sparked a discussion between the Dean's Diversity Council, Longwood President Patricia Cormier and the Longwood administration. Dean of Students Kerstin Soderlund and Director of Multicultural Affairs and International Student Services Lonnie Calhoun created the Dean's Diversity Council "so we could get a feeling from our community," said Calhoun.
The council is made up of a variety of individuals who represent diversity on campus. "We have students from the Secular Student Alliance [a group that unites and educates students about the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy and human based ethics], the Black Student Association, students with disabilities, students of color, students from Unity Alliance [which unites students of different sexual orientation within the Longwood community] and faculty of different faiths," said Soderlund. Some faculty council members include Dr. Melanie Marks, professor of economics, and Dr. Carl Riden, assistant professor of sociology. Student representatives on the Dean's Diversity Council include Andrew Hudgins, founder of the Secular Student Alliance and Marquis Mapp from the Unity Alliance group. Hudgins spoke of Longwood's goals to be an educational community. "Being an institution of higher learning, it is our responsibility to educate everyone about the diversity of religious and cultural practices associated with the winter season," he said.
Rotunda Reporter
The annual lighting of the holiday tree will take place Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Grand Illumination. The event will begin at 5:15 p.m. under the Rotunda in Ruffner Hall. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend this spectacle of lights, tradition and refreshments. However, this year's holiday tree celebration will be accompanied by a collection of items representing winter traditions of different cultures and religions. This change in Longwood's display of holiday decorations is a result of the growing diversity on campus, along with a series of articles in The Rotunda last year about the "holiday tree" versus "Christmas tree" controversy. Nonetheless, calling it a holiday tree does not necessarily make it inclusive of other cultural and religious holiday celebrations. As a public institution of higher learning, Longwood felt it had the responsibility of acknowledging the diverse religious beliefs of its students, under the constitutional mandate of separation of church and state.
The exclusion of diverse cultural and religious traditions during previous holiday seasons at Longwood sparked a discussion between the Dean's Diversity Council, Longwood President Patricia Cormier and the Longwood administration. Dean of Students Kerstin Soderlund and Director of Multicultural Affairs and International Student Services Lonnie Calhoun created the Dean's Diversity Council "so we could get a feeling from our community," said Calhoun.
The council is made up of a variety of individuals who represent diversity on campus. "We have students from the Secular Student Alliance [a group that unites and educates students about the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy and human based ethics], the Black Student Association, students with disabilities, students of color, students from Unity Alliance [which unites students of different sexual orientation within the Longwood community] and faculty of different faiths," said Soderlund. Some faculty council members include Dr. Melanie Marks, professor of economics, and Dr. Carl Riden, assistant professor of sociology. Student representatives on the Dean's Diversity Council include Andrew Hudgins, founder of the Secular Student Alliance and Marquis Mapp from the Unity Alliance group. Hudgins spoke of Longwood's goals to be an educational community. "Being an institution of higher learning, it is our responsibility to educate everyone about the diversity of religious and cultural practices associated with the winter season," he said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Cameron Patterson
posted 11/19/08 @ 11:08 PM EST
I just want to say that I enjoyed the Holiday Tree ceremony tonight in Ruffner. I always enjoy the tree but I also enjoyed the artifacts that were displayed as well, I believe that they were well done and added allot to the program and to the overall appearance in Ruffner. (Continued…)
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