Petition to Change the Name of "Sanskriti", Stanford's South Asian Underrgraduate Organization

To:  Sanskriti Co-Chairs

The name of Stanford's South Asian Undergraduate Organization, Sanskriti, means, on its most basic level, "culture" in the Sanskrit language. However, due to the diversity of language and culture in South Asia, many South Asians do not have cultural ties or affiliations with the language, and therefore do not identify with the name Sanskriti. The connotations associated with the word "Sanskriti", including problematic undertones in South Asian political discourse, may suggest a specific perspective in the organization's programming and constituency of its members. This alienates potential members and discourages them from joining or learning more.

A name change to "Stanford South Asian Organization (SSAO)" is proposed, which would show that all members of the South Asian community are welcome. This name change would more accurately reflect the student body this cultural group seeks to represent, thereby promoting an environment where all feel that the organization is a safe space to learn about each other’s political, religious, and cultural identities. In this way, the organization could effectively "function as a portal that connects the Stanford community to South Asian culture," as its Mission Statement states.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Petition to Change the Name of "Sanskriti", Stanford's South Asian Underrgraduate Organization Petition to Sanskriti Co-Chairs was created by and written by Zavain Dar, Tara Bozorg Grayeli, Aditya Mantha, Molly Robertson, Sanna Ali, Nisha Patel (sanskritinamechange@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.