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Fashion show lavishness requires closer scrutiny

Miami University Club of Fashion Design and Merchandising is hosting a fashion show April 6 at Millett Hall. Despite the stated intentions of diversity awareness, The Miami Student editorial board believes this event is a poor use of Associated Student Government (ASG) funds. ASG granted the club $50,000 in February, amid controversy, including the resignation of ASG's vice president of management and a fashion club founder. While a fashion show with clothes designed by students could be educational for artistic value, this fashion show holds marginal educational value and does not appear to accomplish the goals established by its planners. The way this event was granted ASG funding is suspicious and the event should be audited by ASG - no matter how complicated the process is.

Those planning the event have underscored that the fashion show is being done to promote diversity at Miami. This seems like a great idea, but how this fashion show accomplishes this goal is questionable. Claiming they only had two weeks to plan for the event, club members purchased clothes from retail stores such as Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe. Diversity on campus is certainly not exemplified by clothes from Forever 21. Fashion shows are typically about the artistic and creativity of the clothing being worn by the model. The show is not about the models themselves. The fact that the club recruited students from different races and size is commendable, but should not be the sole basis of the show. Many of these models are friends with club members or were picked on Facebook.com. Another testament to the poor planning, some of the clothes purchased do not even fit the models. The excuse for this fiasco is that it was rushed because there were only two weeks to coordinate the event. But it is obvious that the planners were thinking of this event for months. Monica and rapper L-Marr could not have been scheduled in two weeks.

Additionally, the day of the event is also a noticeable error. The event is on Good Friday and a weekend when many students travel home for Easter. If diversity is going to be emphasized, then the planners of the event should be aware of the religious traditions of students. As ASG President Elect Jens Sutmöller phrased the event at the March 20 ASG meeting, $50,000 is more than many families earn in a year and ASG has thrown that money at a fashion show that amounted to a mall shopping spree with Miami tuition money.