Leadership conference draws black student leaders

Black student leaders from various campus organizations devoted their Saturday to a hands-on day of activities at the fifth annual Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Student Leadership Retreat. The conference was tailored to address the "growing need" for black students to serve in leadership positions.\nConference participants spent the day listening to various speakers and engaging in workshops that focused on a range of issues from communication skills such as writing a press release to collaboration basics for working with other student-run groups. \nPodium speakers included leaders from large campus groups, predominantly black campus organizations and guest lecturers from IU and other universities. The Black Student Union had one of the largest turnouts at the conference.\n"It's very important for all students to be leaders on campus but especially black students since we represent less than 10 percent of IU," said Black Student Union Treasurer Yetunde Okunade. "As (a leader) in the BSU, this conference reminded me that there are other organizations on campus that not only acknowledge BSU but support us as well."\nWorkshops during the day involved team-building activities and discussion time for leaders to talk about their goals and problems facing their organizations and possible solutions. \n"I have worked with student groups for over 10 years, and I think if you have excellent communication and initiative you will have a good student organization," Black Culture Center Director Oyibo Afoaku said.\nIn the workshops she led, Afoaku focused on African heritage in terms of group dynamics. \n"We are all Americans here, but we still have the African characteristic of being strong in a group setting, from the times in villages to communication during slave years," she said. "It's in our history and important to understand."\nThe Social Justice League, a new group that trickled down from the Black Student Union, made its debut at the conference in hopes of garnering support from fellow students. The founding members created the group with the aim of promoting social equality to people of all races and backgrounds, said junior and group member Melody Hines.\n"Being here today I realized how being aware of different aspects of leading in an organization will be helpful in starting up the Social Justice League," Hines said. "While we are going to collaborate with the BSU and other black student groups, this group is definitely for everyone, whatever your race is."\nThe conference concluded with a keynote speech given by Patrick Lee, assistant athletic director for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Lee addressed students about acting in the spirit of leadership and public service and the importance of getting and staying involved in multicultural activities and clubs.\n"Mr. Lee's speech challenged me not only to stay involved in all of my organizations, but to put forth everything I have into every one of them," junior Jazmine Long said. "The NMBCC presented me an opportunity that I would have never had the chance to experience"