BYU’s Multicultural Student Services office announced that all multicultural celebrations will be “incorporated” into the campus wide celebration of its 150th anniversary. Still, students who have participated in years prior said they are left confused.
In an official statement on the MSS website, the office said:
“In celebration of the BYU 150th Year Celebration taking place across campus, the annual Multicultural Student Services Office cultural performances for the 2025-2026 academic year will be incorporated into the BYU 150 Celebration. Please stay tuned to the BYU 150 website for information about how to participate in these events. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.”
The announcement drew concern and frustration from multicultural students who have participated in these events during their time at BYU.
They expressed their frustration over the lost opportunity to celebrate their heritage and the lack of communication and clarity on what “incorporated” meant and how their traditions might still be celebrated despite BYU’s 150th anniversary.
Moises Aguirre, director of the MSS office, told the Daily Universe that "Because of the 150th university celebration, we were asked not to have the cultural programs this year to encourage our students to participate in the events and activities planned for this year."
BYU’s cultural nights have a long tradition of showcasing several cultures throughout the year, including Polynesian, Latin American, Asian, Native American and African American traditions. These are displayed through song, dance and food.
These events have become regular annual traditions for many students. Preparation begins as soon as fall semester starts and usually lasts several months leading up to the festivity. They are all student-driven, with students volunteering to choreograph, prepare costumes funded by students and teach routines of their heritage to any BYU student willing to participate.
Some multicultural students said the shift leaves them uncertain about how their culture may be represented this year, since their traditional events have been dismissed until summer of 2026. A couple students even have concerns that the events will be cancelled indefinitely.
University Communications responded to these concerns in an official statement to the Daily Universe.
"We love our multicultural students and look forward to those annual multicultural programs. As part of the sesquicentennial, there are several new events happening only this year. Several of those events will showcase the people and cultures that have enriched BYU during our 150 years. More details about these events and how they showcase the cultural heritage of our students is forthcoming, but we’re waiting to announce them at the appropriate time," University Communications wrote.
University Communications also stated that they haven't heard any notice on the multicultural events being canceled indefinitely, a statement of huge relief to students who look forward to these events.
Mialani Noble, BYU senior, explained how she learned more about her Filipino, Japanese and Hawaiian heritage through these events than she had growing up.
“Luau, Fiesta and Fusion are huge parts of why I enjoy being a student here,” Noble said. “When I first heard about the change, I just couldn’t understand why. Why can’t we celebrate everything together?”
Noble said the events have been central to her cultural and spiritual growth.
“God gave us each a specific background on purpose; seeing those things represented has been uplifting to me and educational,” she said.
Like Noble, BYU’s cancellation of these stand-alone events has been difficult for students to accept.
“Fiesta has been comforting,” BYU senior Melanie Rubio said. “It brings a sense of belonging I needed.”
Students have also asked for more clarity about what “incorporation” into the 150th celebration means in practice.
The initial announcement of this year's changes had different wording, which indicated a clearer cancellation. It read,
“In celebration of the BYU 150th Year Celebration taking place across campus, the Multicultural Student Services Office will be pausing its cultural programming for 2025-2026 academic year. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.”
Noble said the wording change came after students submitted emails and questions to the office and that it offered no clarity on what the events will look like going forward.
Other students have begun to organize in response to the sudden announcement. BYU Junior Sakura Hart co-authored an email petition to BYU President C. Shane Reese with classmates Mikayla Yuen and Delaney Anderson, asking for more transparency. The email cited a statement signed by Reese affirming BYU’s commitment to equity and belonging.
“At a school where you don’t look like the majority, these cultural events are essential for us to find a place where we fit in,” Hart said.
Many of the students interviewed shared the view that they would like to see their traditions spotlighted rather than diminished during a monumental year celebrating 150 years of BYU.
Student Ty Pasa said the shows helped him find community at BYU.
“To be able to have these multicultural activities gives people a sense of comfort in a place where we don’t usually feel comfortable,” he said.
Pasa said he hopes the anniversary will still highlight the diversity at BYU.
“The celebrations should be fused into BYU’s 150th birthday commencement,” he said.
Pasa said that he and a team of volunteers are exploring options to host an off-campus community-run cultural night if campus plans do not provide the same opportunities.
“When one door closes, another door opens,” he said.
At the time of the start of the Fall 2025 semester, no plans or details had been revealed about how cultural performances will appear in the sesquicentennial celebration. The university has encouraged students to follow the BYU 150 website for further updates.
“Ideally, it would just stay affiliated with BYU,” Rubio said. “But even if it has to move off campus, people want this to happen.”
Many multicultural students said they remain disappointed but hopeful that the anniversary could still provide a meaningful platform for their heritage.