Education center enlightens student worker

To many students, work-study offers a way to earn extra money to pay for college. To senior Gerilyn Davis, however, work-study provides not only extra money but also a family and a home away from home. \nDavis, the student organizations coordinator of the Neal-Marshall Education Center, said she fell in love with her work-study job when she began working at the center more than four years ago.\n"I love what the culture center represents," she said. "I want to do positive things."\nAs student organizations coordinator, Davis is the liaison between the NMBCC and groups like the Black Student Union, the African Students Association and the National Panhellenic Council. She said she helps facilitate program initiatives, attends the groups' meetings and performs tasks the organizations ask her to do, such as producing fliers and publications.\nNMBCC Director Oyibo H. Afoaku said Davis is an essential bridge between the center and the student groups.\n"(Davis) does it very well," Afoaku said. "She knows the (groups') officers by name and is very outgoing and friendly. She will be highly missed when she graduates in May."\nAfoaku said students can't talk about the student organizations without talking about the NMBCC.\n"Groups are essential because student organizations are strong and can support the center," she said. "They put on programs, attend programs and cosponsor programs."\nDavis said she also helps create dialogue about obstacles facing black students on campus through Harambee: Student Development Forum, a discussion between IU students, faculty and staff the last Thursday of every other month. Davis said some of these obstacles include students' not feeling at home at IU and not realizing they are here for a bigger reason.\n"I have a stronger attachment to the (black culture center) than IU," Davis said.\nDavis, who graduated from Pike High School in Indianapolis, said she first became involved with the NMBCC when she arrived on campus the summer before her freshman year through the Groups Student Support Services. According to its Web site, the service is for first-generation college students with limited financial resources.\nDavis added that her perception of black student life at IU stems from her experience in the business school.\n"Those kids have money," she said. "I paid for my school. It hasn't been easy."\nAlthough Davis will graduate in May with a degree in business management and a job at Target, she said she hopes to go to into higher education. After working at the NMBCC, she said she can appreciate the influence of people in higher education. She added that she plans to continue participating in NMBCC events after graduation.\n"I kind of still want to do the programs," she said. "I've helped from a distance."\nAlthough Davis said she has enjoyed working with the NMBCC and student groups, she said her favorite aspect of her job is her relationships with her co-workers.\n"I really feel close with the people I work with," she said. "It feels like a family environment."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Stephanie Susman at ssussman@indiana.edu.