Ball State University students will compete for scholarships in the Unity Pageant at 3 p.m. Saturday in Pruis Hall.
Tiffany Washington, assistant director of student life and adviser for the multicultural groups sponsoring Unity Week, said pageant competitors will vie for scholarships and the title of Mr. or Miss Unity. First, second and third runners-up for both titles will also receive recognition, she said.
Washington said this is also the first year admission is free for the pageant. It cost $3 in previous years, she said.
Another improvement to this year's competition is a stronger bond between the pageant candidates, she said.
"The pageant has turned into more than a competition," she said. "It's a kinship. It has that family dynamic."
The pageant, which has awarded academically strong students with diverse backgrounds for more than 20 years, Washington said, supplies pre-selected judges for the event. The candidate pool started the competition with 20 selected students, but only the finalists will compete Saturday, she said.
The competition began before Unity Week because candidates are judged on attendance at Unity Week event practices and organization meetings, punctuality, essays, community service, grades and overall attitude, Washington said. Votes from earlier tasks will combine with the judges' scores to determine the winners, she said.
The Unity Pageant marks the culmination of a week of events centered on the variety of cultures found on campus. This year's events included a breakfast for more than 350 students in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., a Day of Service with Student Voluntary Services, a presentation by Little Rock Nine member Terrence Roberts, Cup of Culture dinner and Night of the Arts, a student-produced art and talent show.
Washington said each event was sponsored by the multicultural organizations, and while the Office of Student Life directly advised the groups' student leaders, the burden of the events fell on the shoulders of the students.
Emily Sandoval, president of Asian American Student Association, said she cooked adobo, a Filipino dish, for the Cup of Culture dinner. She said she thought she needed to participate in the week's events, so she signed up.
Junior speech pathology major Jeannette Young said she joined the week's festivities early, volunteering with 71 other students Monday at the Second Harvest Food Bank with SVS. The volunteers sorted potatoes to be distributed to families in need in Central Indiana, she said.
Young said she wished more people would come to the Unity Week events because seeing the same people over and over was discouraging.
"I got involved because it's a week to try to unify all backgrounds," Young said. "People who come already know. They don't need to get outside of their box."
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