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Fiesta organizers work for diversity

UH tradition seeing an overhaul in its image, participation

By Matthew Shepherd
The Daily Cougar

At UH, there's no spring thaw to let people know winter has ended — there's Frontier Fiesta, the spring campus festival.

Fiesta has been one of the largest events at UH since it was re-introduced in 1992 after a 33-year hiatus. The student-produced event spans several acres and the first three days in April and boasts an array of attractions including concerts, carnival-style games and booths and a Texas-style cookoff.

But Fiesta has changed considerably since its inception in 1940 when, as former UH President Walter Kemmerer said, it strove to re-create "the good old days when men were men and women loved them for it."

Under pressure from student organizations in recent years, the event has attempted to alter its image to appear more progressive and representative of the diversity of UH students.

In response to controversy last year surrounding Fiesta's name and a recommendation from the Student Fees Advisory Committee, organizers have put together a task force to evaluate concerns about the event.

The task force — which includes representatives from Fiesta, the Council of Ethnic Organizations and SFAC and is headed by Karen Nelson of UH Counseling and Psychological Services — is drafting a report detailing its findings in three problem areas: image, participation and content.

The report will be released in time for Fiesta's presentation to SFAC, which doles out student fees to the organizations they support, later this month.

Fiesta Chairman David Dalton said a number of steps have been taken to move the organization in a more progressive direction.

"This year, by far, we have the most diverse board we've had," he said, referring to the board of directors that oversees Fiesta's production.

Dalton said this year's board also differs in addressing controversy surrounding the event — forming the task force, for example. Past boards, he said, would "plan the event and just kind of walk away."

A criticism of Frontier Fiesta has been that its participants were mainly white fraternity and sorority members, but this year's organizers are quick to point to the involvement of a wider range of groups. Jessica Adkins, Fiesta's director of marketing, cited the CEO's increased involvement as a key advancement in Fiesta's campaign for more diversity.

CEO has been involved in Fiesta in a limited capacity in recent years, but this year marks the first time CEO's constituent groups are contributing intense programming. They will provide a section of games and booths that will claim a major portion of Fiesta City.

Although the specific ethnic organizations to be involved aren't yet known, the possibility of a high level of participation is a positive development for those who have been trying to diversify the event.

"We're going to try our best to make it an inclusive event," CEO Director Deepak Doshi said, adding that he is optimistic about the spirit of inclusion among event organizers this year.

Doshi said he believes Fiesta could again attract 100,000 people, like it did in the 1950s, if it adopted more progressive policies.

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