Cultivating leadership

Trust, community, leadership. These are three important tools and ideas learned and embraced at the Asian Culture Center's third annual Student Leadership Conference held Oct. 27 and 28 at Bradford Woods in Martinsville.\nAbout 30 students participated in this year's program, which was arranged by the ACC in cooperation with the Office of Academic Support and Diversity and Office of International Programs. \nDesigned to promote coalition building and unity, the event attempted to identify how the ACC and IU can develop Asian and Asian-American men and women who strive to contribute effectively as leaders and citizens. \n"It gave us participants an opportunity to unite and form bonds that helped us start each year with an understanding that there was support in our communities," said senior Michelle Alphonso. Alphonso participated in the 1999 and 2000 retreats. \n"We learned about the similarities in our visions, and were provided with an opportunity to learn different sides of issues that we all struggle with and believe in," she said.\nAfter being divided into groups, students participated in a variety of group activities, including the Egg Drop, Trust Fall and Constant Improvement, all designed to assist students in building leadership qualities and trust in others. Participants concluded the day with the Night Walk, which allowed them to relax and unwind from the day's activities.\nThe Bradford Woods, where this event took place, is an outdoor education and leadership center owned and operated by IU and is designed to help students learn and grow as individuals by utilizing different adventure activities, such as this years ACC conference.\nMelanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the ACC, said the annual conference is an important means of providing students with effective and beneficial tools for becoming leaders and instilling important qualities.\n"The program is aimed at strengthening old relationships and building new ones through a series of facilitated activities," Castillo-Cullather said. "It aims to build group cohesiveness, cooperation and decision-making skills."\nIn addition to building these skills, the event was important because it helped students become more aware of their heritage, while promoting diversity on campus. \n"This conference not only benefited the Asian community at IU by helping Asian students develop their leadership skills to establish a strong Asian presence at IU, but it also benefited students and faculty by promoting diversity and a better understanding of Asian culture," said freshman Madeline Leung, who participated in this weekend's event.\n"Often times we don't see too many Asian leaders here at IU which is a pity because, Asian American students have a lot to offer to IU with our unique experiences as Asians and also to share our culture with others," Leung said.\nThe conference, hosted by the ACC, also helped build ties between the 21 different Asian student organizations on campus. \nJunior Christopher Sinclair, president of the Asian American Association and a participant at the 2000 conference, said he found his experience to be very worthwhile.\n"One of the most important things I took from my experience was the importance of remembering that, when planning events, everyone is working toward the same goal and everyone wants a positive result," Sinclair said. "This really helps in overcoming differences and accomplishing goals, and it easily extends into IU by working beyond cultural programming"