Call me Macaca. My parents never did; it wasn’t my name.

Don’t worry, this column isn’t about former Virginia Senator George Allen’s “celebration” of culture during a campaign rally last year. But I do have something in common with the 20-year-old whom Allen insulted by calling Macaca – we’re both Indian.

BREAKING NEWS! You’re not INDIAN!

Oh, I thought I was. Well, uh, this is awkward.

Believe it or not, on this campus many of you, no matter what your background is, will be faced with the same shocking “truth” that you’re not exactly what you thought you were.

You may be surprised and slightly insulted, but eventually you may accept it. In reality the only thing that’s shocking about it is that it’s not really true at all.

The cultural student organizations on campus are a wonderful way of helping students embrace and celebrate their own heritage with others. For some, this is just a continuation of what they’ve been doing all their lives. For others, it’s a discovery of something new and exciting that they weren’t able to express earlier.

At the same time, cultural organizations provide a great window into a culture for those who aren’t necessarily from the same background. The open structure and welcoming events of most groups are a testament to that. Everyone loves broadening horizons, and a university without that would be nothing.

Unfortunately, some people let their participation, or lack thereof, in a cultural organization define how much they have embraced their own culture. In other words, the activities with Indian organizations in which I participate show just exactly how “Indian” I am.

For instance, during my freshman year I was told by friends that I was not Indian because I didn’t attend a major event, or any events really. Doesn’t it make perfect sense that not going to a party equates to denouncing the culture I’ve shared with my Indian family during the past 20 years?

Last year, a friend and I were talking about how we weren’t members of the Indian groups on campus. I think his exact words were “Dude, we are so not Indian.” Sadly, there are probably many others who share the same idea and just accept it as true.

This is where the lines blur and things get complicated. The incorrect judgments of how “Indian” or how much of anything a person is can be perpetuated by both those who are in an organization and those who are not in that organization.

There’s no way to currycoat, err sugarcoat, the fact that this idea is just plain wrong. It’s part of the notion that membership in an organization can so strongly and potentially negatively influence what you think of yourself and those around you.

An association shouldn’t put a wedge between the very people it hopes to recruit.

Look at yourself in the mirror. You see the same person that’s always been there. Whether you’re Indian, Mexican, Irish-German, or Vulcan (good luck with that one) it’s not going to change. It’s your choice to embrace as much of that culture as you wish.

So if you wish to join one of the many cultural groups on campus, go right ahead; you’ll make some great friends and have a great time. How much time you spend participating in the organization while juggling it with classes, work, friends and couch relaxation is up to you. If it’s not your thing, don’t sweat it. Either way, don’t let that organization tell you who you are.

I think Carlton Banks from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” said it best when Top Dog rejected him from a fraternity he was rushing: “Being black is not what I’m trying to be; it’s what I am. I’m running the same race and jumping the same hurdles as you, so why are you tripping me up? You said we need to stick together, but you don’t know what that means.”