For those looking to celebrate diversity or champion a cause, Penn's calendar offers no shortage of opportunities: This week is Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, two weeks ago was Breast Cancer Awareness Week and next week marks both Unity Week and Muslim Awareness Week - and many more are coming.
As various groups compete for students' precious attention, it seems like every week for the rest of your life may try to make you a little more aware.
The past five years have seen a marked increase in week-long awareness blitzes, especially on college campuses, according to Bob Kucharavy, a public relations professor at Syracuse University.
This is certainly the case for the United Minorities Council's Unity Week, whose budget has increased from $1,000 less than five years ago to $14,000 for this year's festivities, according to UMC Chairwoman and College senior Shakirah Simley.
"We've gotten bigger and better," said Simley. The UMC's constituent groups do their own fundraising, and the coalition also gets grant money from various sources.
But other groups report that excitement about their events has waned in recent years.
"I've heard from different groups that 'Oh, it's another . awareness week,'" said Alison Olsson, a College senior and APAHW's coordinating chairwoman. She added that this reaction led her planning committee to rethink and repackage this year's events to have greater appeal to the Penn community. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle actor Kal Penn is speaking tonight, for example.
Kucharavy said that it's easy to see why many groups choose awareness weeks as a public relations strategy. At best, he said they make college students more socially conscious. At worst, however, their impact can be diminished due to the sheer volume of causes on any given campus.
"Some of them get lost in the shuffle because they're not as organized as others," Kucharavy said.
He added that weeks that aim to celebrate diversity rather than fundraise for a more specific cause can be harder to promote.
"They have a less clear goal and they don't command the same publicity," Kucharavy said.
Students "just can't compete with the heart associations and the cancer societies when they come in with their fancy posters and brochures," he said.
Student leaders said it's often up to individual student groups to search for funding for their awareness weeks, creating another potential obstacle.
While the UMC has been lucky to receive funding from campus organizations, "there's always not enough money," said UMC Vice Chairman and College senior Luis Chia.
Student leaders said conflicts are rarely an issue because they plan so far in advance. When one does arise, however, they usually work it out by choosing to collaborate in sponsoring an event.
According to student leaders, their biggest competition is not with each other or national causes but with the Penn administrative calendar.
"If anything, we're competing with Homecoming, fall break. . We [can't] hold Unity Week during Homecoming weekend because there are no venues," Chia said.
Chia added that it's important not to lump all awareness weeks together.
"Each of these weeks do have their own purpose," Chia said.
As far as the multitude of events on campus, "people might feel overwhelmed . but you can pick and choose," Simley said.
