As another Homecoming week came to a close Sunday, students were left with a mix of emotions varying from pride for the success of the celebration to concern regarding some controversial aspects of the week's festivities.
In recent years the Homecoming Committee has raised several thousand dollars annually for the Dean of Students Crisis Fund, with last year's contributions totaling $5,000. The fund provides interest-free loans to students in crisis situations, such as the loss of a loved one. Homecoming Co-Chair Andy Burch said students receive $200 to $300 and are not under a time restraint to pay it back.
Homecoming Committee Public Relations Chair Kurt Jensen estimated that the committee raised approximately twice last year's amount during Homecoming 2001.
\This year has been phenomenal,"" he said.
The Homecoming theme was ""Badger Luau,"" a title which Jensen said was used to represent the week's celebration.
Burch said response to the theme was positive, even from people of Hawaiian descent such as the Hawaii Luau dancers.
""They were very happy to share their authentic Hawaiian culture with us,"" he said.
A native of Hawaii and co-president of Na Hoa Pili O Hawai'i, UW-Madison's Hawaii Club, Christine Kashiwabara said she had mixed feelings about the ""Badger Luau.""
Kashiwabara said it was difficult to represent the culture in its entirety, and parts of it were also misrepresented because of traditional stereotypes.
Although a luau, for example, is a celebration, it is usually a time for family to eat together. Homecoming, therefore, would not be considered a luau, she said.
In addition, some of the stereotypes of Hawaiians are false, Kashiwabara said. For example, she cited how in colonial times hula dancers never wore grass skirts, but rather ones made of tea leaves. The women also danced topless, leaving the movie industry responsible for the stereotype of coconut bras, she said.
Despite the misrepresentations many people have of Hawaii, Kashiwabara said she was not too upset with the ""Badger Luau.""
""I don't think we were represented completely if the school wanted to concentrate on culture,"" she said. ""But I got the impression they wanted to concentrate on school pride.""
She also said if the school had wanted to concentrate on authentic culture, it would have made the event more difficult for people to enjoy since they would most likely be less familiar with it.
""If you wanted to make it authentic, not many people would really know what they were doing,"" she said.
Another UW-Madison student, Pabitra Benjamin, said she became upset when she saw an advertisement for homecoming showing a darker-skinned Bucky Badger wearing a hula skirt and holding a spear, along with some dark-skinned women dancing in the background.
""That's kind of sexist and racist in my opinion,"" she said.
Benjamin also said she did not think displays such as this one truly represented Hawaiian culture.
""For some reason people just take things out of context and use them for a media campaign,"" she said.
There were no complaints to the committee, so it was difficult to know whether students had any concerns, Jensen said.
Yet many students were very responsive and active in Homecoming related events that raised money for the Dean of Students Crisis Fund.
The Homecoming Ball, which has not been held in more than a decade, occurred on Oct. 20 and attracted 760 students.
Other successful fundraising included the annual golf outing and sales of homecoming apparel. Corporate sponsors and the Wisconsin Alumni Association also help make many of the events possible.
WAA Senior Director of Communications Nicki Denison said that part of the association's role is providing the committee with a part-time staff person as well as office space.
