Ian Sullivan English Major at the University of Idaho sull2920@vandals.uidaho.edu (208) 819-3273
Abstract:
In our small community in and around Moscow, Idaho, a lack of knowledge for other cultures and religions is present, as well as how they dedicate their time during the holiday season. While our community remains stagnant and content in celebrating the holiday season in its predominantly Christian way, meaning catering to the celebration of the Christmas holiday and the traditions that go along with it, it also remains unaware and often times unfortunately intolerant of the other cultural traditions have to offer.
Enclosed is a grant proposal to fund what would be an annual holiday festival at the University of Idaho, taking place sometime in early to mid-December, a short time before the students conclude the fall semester and go on winter break. It is important to open the eyes of the students to how others celebrate these special times, and this festival can help to bring awareness and tolerance.
2 Table of Contents
Overview3
Current Dialogue3
Medium and Technique3-4
Preparation.,.4
Outcomes.4-5
Line-item Budget.5
3 Overview
Its clear the most commonly celebrated winter holiday in our community is Christmas, as Christians dominate the area. The purpose of this proposed holiday festival is not to discourage students from continuing to celebrate the holiday season as they wish and see fit. In fact, one of the objectives of the festival would be to help to enrich their own experiences with their own holidays. Furthermore, the festival would expose the students to other holidays, such as Hanukkah and Kwanza, the cultures or religions that celebrate these holidays. With this exposal and engagement, students will come to have a greater multicultural appreciation, as well as a much more enhanced college experience, contributing to a much more fulfilled lifestyle. At its core, the festival will also allow another opportunity for the student body to interact and participate in extracurricular activities during a time of the year when few are offered.
The vision for the final product of the holiday festival includes everything from concerts to film screenings. Other possibilities include fairs, church services, and guest speakers. Due to the time of the year and the weather, the majority of these events would have to take place indoors. As the football season is about wrapped up at this time of year, the Kibbie Dome would be a suitable location for many of these events. Other suitable locations include Memorial Gym, the law school court room, the commons, and various lecture halls and auditoriums around campus.
Current Dialogue
My inspiration for this proposal came from the overwhelmingly apparent lack of knowledge and appreciation for other cultures within our small college community. I feel that the University of Idahos student body could greatly benefit from a multicultural festival such as this one, and I have a passionate desire to bring more diversity and tolerance to our campus, increasing its integrity.
The originality in my vision lies within its intention to expose the students to cultural aspects that they may be entirely unfamiliar with, and even possibly uncomfortable with. However, with the participation in the events this proposed festival has to offer, the student body as a whole can only greatly benefit. As years go on, this annual festival will only strengthen and become more enriching.
Medium and Technique
As I previously mentioned in the overview section, the festival will be best served primarily indoors, and there is a variety of facilities on campus that can accommodate adequately. There is ample space provided in these facilities, allowing for this festival to be as immense and rich as it wants to be. The resources are present; its just a matter of execution.
4 I have a few minor concerns for this festival, but all are avoidable and manageable with proper preparation. The main concern would be the weather. While I have proposed that the festival should be held indoors, it could still be an issue for student transportation and the commute from facility to facility. Proper precautions will need to be taken to make sure sidewalks on campus are free of snow and ice, ensuring the safety of festival-goers. Depending on the amount of attendees the festival is able to draw, space could be a possible issue but time management can easily fix this. An issue that may arise, although I dont see it happening for sure, is protest or objections from certain members of the student body that may not feel comfortable with the subject matter of the festival. While these students have the right to protest, its vital we make sure the protesting is appropriate and not making festival-goers feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
As the RFP requires no compensation for performers or contributors, it is of the utmost important that those performing or presenting are willing to do so on a volunteer basis. This may be extremely difficult to convince, however I know that it is doable.
The weekend before dead week during the fall semester, including the Friday prior, would be a perfect and suitable fit for the festival as it will allow a temporary and fun escape for the students from their stressful studies as they are about to start preparing for their finals.
Preparation
I have had minor experience in event planning at the job I attend to during the summers. This involves working on a golf course within a private community, in which there are numerous events through out the summer the require precise detail and dedication to ensure the happiness of all attendees. I also have volunteer work with the Pullman Chamber of Commerce at large events, helping to make sure everything goes smoothly. I have witnessed and shadowed event coordinators who dedicate all of their time in the work setting to strictly planning events such as this, making sure everything from a simple food vendor to a large stage is fully operational and contributing to the greater good of the event and the happiness of the attendee.
This experience has given me a keen knowledge of time management, crowd control, and leadership. All of these are vital in making sure the proposed festival runs smoothly.
Outcomes
The desired outcome and success of this proposed festival greatly enhances my multicultural interests. I have always been deeply interested in the humanities, especially relating to the ideologies of other people and how they celebrate life. I have always had a fascination for the holiday season; especially in terms of how 5 most of us in America dedicate it to our Christmas traditions, often seemingly unaware that there are so many more traditions the world has to offer. Just as I have done my best to expose myself to these other traditions, I wish to do so for the whole University of Idaho student body. I care about my school and those who attend, and wish for a more enriched, appreciative, tolerant and diverse setting with Moscow.
Line-item Budget
As the grant sponsor offers only five thousand dollars to work with, it will be important to use every dollar accordingly and efficiently. It will be best served for everyone involved to have someone brought in as a willing volunteer to budget the money. I see an approximate majority of the money going to the fair, with the rest divvied up between concerts, films and any other minor events during the festival.