All Roads Lead to the Union: Newsletter
New Flags in the Ballroom Corridor
The A. Ray Olpin Union is the community center of campus that complements the academic mission of the University. The Union cultivates an environment that serves students by providing social, cultural, leadership, and co-curricular opportunities. The Union values diversity and promotes a safe and welcoming atmosphere where students are inspired to realize their potential.
– Mission of the A. Ray Olpin University Union
Adding to this mission and the rich cultures around campus, the Union proudly has over 100 flags hung down the length of the ballroom corridor. The intent of these flags is to help all students feel welcome and seen in the campus community center. This past semester there were 43 additional flags added to the list all from various countries and one tribal flag from the Northwestern Shoshone Nation; each flag represents a student(s) who is either from that country or tribe. Additionally, flags also represent students who may not be born in a specific country, but have family, relatives, or ties from there.
If you have a flag that you would like displayed, we encourage you to fill out the request form on the Union website. All flags submitted as new requests go through a process. Once a request is received, the Union works with the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to confirm we have student representation from that country. After confirmation, the flag is sent to the Union Board, which is a student-led committee that votes to display the flag down the corridor. If there is no student representation on record for a country, we would ask the requester to explain their relationship to the country. If a flag is hung incorrectly or is outdated, we also welcome suggestions to update those flags. Our goal is to display all flags respectfully. The time frame for any new flags being hung or updates can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks.
If you would like to submit a request or update, please fill out our form: Flag Request Form
If you have any questions concerning the flag display at the Union please contact Danielle Martinez at dmartinez@union.edu.
Written by: Danielle Martinez