The welcoming committee at Western University will be a little more culturally sensitive when orientation week arrives this year.
The 30-member committee that oversees 'O-Week' event is putting new restrictions on what students can wear during those festivities.
And the changes have been driven largely by students, who brought forward ideas they thought could improve the orientation experience.
Part of the orientation events include student leaders or 'sophs' putting on a show for incoming first year students, but this year there are some new restrictions on what can be part of their uniform.
Taryn Scripnick, student council vice-president, explains, "They are no longer allowed to wear dreadlocks, mohawks, native headdresses, hijabs or bandanas that cover the face...Some of these can be seen as cultural appropriation. So when, for example, an item is being used as a team soph uniform the that is when it becomes a problem."
The committee says the emphasis has to be on making those first year students feel comfortable and acknowledging a more international student population is part of that.
Peggy Wakabayashi, director of residences, says, "Western's overall student population continues to change. We have a number of international students and we care that Western offers a warm and welcoming experience for our diverse student population."
As for the bandanas, they have been used by students in the past, but bandanas over faces can evoke traumatic events for some international students.
Of course anyone with dreadlocks or a mohawk or wearing a hijab as part of their cultural identity won't be approached, the restrictions only apply to O-Week uniforms.
O-Week runs from Sept. 8th to the 12th this year.
