Students keep 'eyes on the prize'

Using the words of Frederick Douglass, "If there is no struggle, there is no freedom," guest lecturer Sharon Jones encouraged students in the Minority Achievers Program to continue that struggle today.\nDouglass' message still has significant relevance today, said Jones, an assistant professor of English at nearby Earlham College. Jones spoke at a Minority Achievers Program LEAD (Leadership skills, academic Excellence, professional Achievement, community Development) Speaker Series presentation Wednesday. MAP -- a program designed to help academically-talented minority undergraduates with scholarships, personal attention and social and cultural activities -- will sponsor seven such presentations this year.\nThe second of the seven events, "Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize: African American Literature and the Quest for Excellence," was held Wednesday at the Indiana Memorial Union's Federal Room.\nThe Speaker Series program is designed to promote leadership skills, academic excellence, professional achievement, and community development. \nJones, who specializes in the Harlem Renaissance, Black women writers and contemporary literature, began her presentation with a trivia quiz including questions about Malcolm X and Maya Angelou. Six students who answered the questions correctly won a copy of Jones' recently published "Anthology of African American Literature."\nThe speaker took the MAP students on a journey through African American Literature, touching on writers and leaders in the 1600s all the way to the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century.\n"By keeping their eyes on the prize -- the prize being justice, equality and freedom -- past and present African American writers, artists and orators have bequeathed a legacy of excellence in literary, artistic and cultural achievements," Jones said.\nOther highlights were spiritual music, an audio sample of a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. and the discussion of a poem written by Langston Hughes. \nLindsy Serrano, a member of IU's MAP program and a freshman, said the event was informative.\n "I didn't know what to expect when I came here, and I didn't know very much about African American literature," Serrano said. "I wasn't aware that there were so many different genres and I thought it was really interesting."\n To conclude the presentation, Debra Unger, MAP coordinator of counseling and academic services left students with some encouraging words.\n "I see (Sharon Jones) as an exceptional role model, and someone we can look to for leadership in pursuing our interests," Unger said.\n The speaker series opens doors to many opportunities for students, said Craig Johnson, director of MAP.\n"The LEAD speaker series gives incoming freshman the opportunity to meet, learn from and interact in an informal, friendly environment with professional and community leaders," Johnson said. "LEAD speakers are inspirational role models, and we expect them to form professional mentoring relationships with our students."\nMAP is emphasized not only as a scholarship program, but a way for students to get help in other ways.\n"Yes, MAP provides scholarships and our program has both excellent retention and graduation rates," Johnson said. "But MAP also provides academic, social and cultural support services designed to foster an exceptional learning environment for our students"