The African American Cultural Center challenged the University’s black student leaders to aim for and achieve the impossible at Saturday’s Black Leadership Conference.
The theme of the annual conference, “Leadership: An Untapped Resource,” is a reflection of the challenge to black students to assert their leadership skills in order to unite and advance the University community.
“Gathering the black student organizations together at the beginning of the year is so important for our purpose and unity,” said Tammy Sam, a psychology sophomore, who attended the conference.
Leaders of many black student organizations including the Black Student Union, National Pan-Hellenic Organizations and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People attended the conference.
Jermaine Watson, AACC manager, instructed students in managing the financial affairs of their organizations. He said most students had no background in treasury.
“It’s great to see them emboldened by their newfound knowledge and ability,” he said.
Jerrel Wade, assistant director of Greek Affairs, led a session on keeping organizational records. He said his session and the whole conference provided the opportunity for any student to learn how to lead an organization.
Wade said in his college experience campus involvement was essential. He said he wanted the University’s students to realize campus participation could better them as people.
“I hope students learned from the conference the skills to mold them, not only into better students, but into better people,” he said.
Amy Cavender, Student Health Center coordinator, led students in a discussion of stress management.
Cavender said her goal was to teach students to take control of their lives and stress levels through time management strategies.
Cavender sees the conference as important because it provides black students with a sense of community in an environment where they otherwise may feel isolated.
Sam said it is important for black students to support each other and know that black leaders and administrators are working to better the University for them.
“For all of us to be in one place is empowering,” she said.
Sam said the University’s black community is small, and it is important to see that there are people trying to change something.
“We learned that people are trying,” she said. “And we’re going to make a difference.”