Hall of Cultures | International Cultural Center

Hall of Cultures

Policy on Flag Representation in the ICC Hall of Cultures

In 1995, the ICC announced plans to hang the flag representing each international student's place of origin in the former church sanctuary located within its facility on Dalrymple Drive. At that time, the ICC solicited funding from student and community groups, as well as private individuals, to defray the cost of purchasing and installing the flags. Later, a student referendum endorsed the designation of the former sanctuary as the "Hall of Cultures," a phrase that reflected the hope that the newly-installed flags would transform the room into "a symbol of all-around-the-world diversity." In Spring 2001, the LSU administration asked the ICC Governing Board to adopt an official policy for the display of flags in the Hall of Cultures.

The ICC, by the terms of its bylaws, is a cultural resource for the entire LSU community. The foreword to the bylaws defines the ICC's mission as consisting, in part, of "programs that inform international and domestic students and the community of the uniqueness of the cultural heritage within the university community." It should be noted that the ICC exists to promote cultural understanding; it does not take policy positions on political, religious, or international relations questions.

Consistent with this philosophy and the original intention for flag display in the Hall of Cultures, the Governing Board confirms its desire to display the current flag of each nation that has (or has had since 1995) one or more students enrolled at LSU. In cases where the emergence of a newly recognized country or the redesign of an existing country's flag may necessitate flag acquisition, the ICC shall directly purchase the flag in order to ensure design consistency with the other flags, although the Governing Board welcomes the financial assistance of those individuals and groups that may wish to defray such acquisition and maintenance costs.

For the purpose of this policy, "country" status shall be determined by the "List of Country Codes" issued by the United States Department of State and used by LSU when classifying the origin of international students. The Governing Board, or its designee, shall periodically review the flag display in the Hall of Cultures to ensure that flags conform with the terms of this policy.