September 26, 2017
K-State Alumni Association encourages respectful use of homecoming theme: Purple Pride Worldwide
To: Our Wildcat Community,
The K-State Alumni Association and Homecoming Committee are very excited about this year’s homecoming. As we prepare to cheer on the Cats and welcome our alumni home from all over the world, we would like to address a concern that our Wildcat family has shared with us.
This year’s homecoming theme is “Purple Pride Worldwide” to celebrate and recognize all K-Staters from around the world. Although our intentions are to celebrate our global connections, we understand that some groups could misuse the theme to mock and/or misrepresent myriad cultures both domestically and internationally.
We, the K-State Alumni Association and Homecoming Committee, do not support anyone engaging in mockery, stereotyping or cultural appropriation. As our campus prepares for the week of traditional homecoming festivities, we encourage the design of signs, paintings, performances, costumes and floats to reflect landmarks, iconic signage and tourism that respectfully embody our entire student population. We also encourage our Wildcat community to engage in educational dialogue on embracing our global connections by attending these upcoming events:
- Thursday, Oct. 5: Microaggressions and Cultural Appropriation roundtable with Housing and Dining Services Multicultural Resource Center at 7 p.m. at the Kramer Dining Center.
- Friday, Oct. 13: Culturally Inclusive: Student Listening Session with the K-State Alumni Association Multicultural Alumni Council from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in Room 206 at the K-State Student Union.
Lastly, we would like to thank the Student Government Association, International Student and Scholar Services , Housing and Dining Services and the Staley School of Leadership Studies for engaging in impactful dialogue with us while evaluating this concern. We look forward to future discussion and bringing our K-State family closer together.
Go Cats,
Amy Button Renz '76, '86
President and CEO
K-State Alumni Association
Marcus Kidd '14, '16
Assistant Director of Student Programs
K-State Alumni Association
The mission of the K-State Alumni Association is to lead and inspire lifelong involvement that will benefit Kansas State University and all members of our Wildcat Community.