Recently I entered the UC, and while passing the Watkins Auditorium I stopped to notice the towering Christmas tree erected there. What struck me the most were the decorations on the tree. This bit of holiday cheer is adorned with ornaments featuring the traditional Caucasian depictions of St. Nicholas.

The tree itself is not altogether offensive. A holiday tree is a festive decoration that honors the holiday spirit, but does not discriminate against any particular religion in a large way. A bit of research into the tradition of having a tree for the holiday will show that it plays no significant role in the Christian holiday other than a mere festive item. In fact, it has pagan roots.

The problem I found was that the university seems to compromise its stance on diversity.

Ironically, the white Santas that literally cover the tree all hang under the flags of the different ethnicities that attend school here. Surely there are people that celebrate Chanukah, Kwanzaa or certainly do not associate this time with the Christian version of the legendary St. Nicholas.

It is SGA’s duty to represent the students that they took such an interest in during November’s Diversity Week, and make the tree less offensive to other religions, cultures and ethnicities. Someone needs to either diversify the Santa ornaments or take them off.

There are plenty of other ornaments that are more publicly correct.

Does the university truly stand behind the banner of diversity they tout, or are their expressions of diversity merely empty expressions? UTM needs to be respectful of all the different groups in the big ways and the small.