Spring Break
Conference aims to incite change
Students from 80 universities meet at A&M to discuss a changing world
By: Calli Turner
Issue date: 1/26/09 Section: News
More than 650 students from 80 universities spent Thursday through Sunday at Texas A&M for the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference.
The theme for the 2009 conference was transcending the status quo.
"We thought that was very appropriate with the major changes going on in the world," said SBSLC 2009 director of programs Byron Barber, a junior wildlife and fisheries science major.
He said one goal of the conference was to inspire participants to incite change in communities, not just speak about it.
Events included keynote speakers, workshops and a spiritual charge. Friday evening was set aside for entertainment with the theme "A Night in Vegas." Casino games and karaoke were set up, and a poetry group from Prairie View A&M and Fade 2 Black, a dance group at A&M, took the stage at the Zone at Kyle Field.
Promoters were an addition to the 2009 conference schedule. Groups came to advocate causes from bone marrow donation to HIV testing. There was a career fair that was open to all A&M students that featured corporations, graduate schools and nonprofit organizations. Vendors were also on hand, Barber said, from small, mostly black owned businesses.
Barber said the conference was centered around the social change model. It is completely student-run and out of the Department of Multicultural Services.
Students traveled from across the nation to attend from as far as Illinois to as close as Texas Southern University-Houston.
Karen Onyirioha, a junior biology major and director of registration, said it was not her personal experience that made the conference meaningful, but the experiences of others.
Onyirioha oversaw the conference registration, which included Texas schools such as University of Texas, Amarillo State and Austin Community College.
Jerren Willis, a senior mechanical engineering major and director of marketing for the conference, said the event was empowering and that it was rewarding to see the completed project.
"You get a great feeling from it after you sit back and look at everything that was accomplished," Willis said.
The SBSLC was established in 1989 and the weekend's events marked the 21st conference on A&M's campus.
For Barber, the closing banquet ceremony had special meaning. Barber was named chairman for next year's conference. Steven Charles Levingston held the position for the previous two conferences.
"It's not about me," Barber said, "it's about what we can provide."
The theme for the 2009 conference was transcending the status quo.
"We thought that was very appropriate with the major changes going on in the world," said SBSLC 2009 director of programs Byron Barber, a junior wildlife and fisheries science major.
He said one goal of the conference was to inspire participants to incite change in communities, not just speak about it.
Events included keynote speakers, workshops and a spiritual charge. Friday evening was set aside for entertainment with the theme "A Night in Vegas." Casino games and karaoke were set up, and a poetry group from Prairie View A&M and Fade 2 Black, a dance group at A&M, took the stage at the Zone at Kyle Field.
Promoters were an addition to the 2009 conference schedule. Groups came to advocate causes from bone marrow donation to HIV testing. There was a career fair that was open to all A&M students that featured corporations, graduate schools and nonprofit organizations. Vendors were also on hand, Barber said, from small, mostly black owned businesses.
Barber said the conference was centered around the social change model. It is completely student-run and out of the Department of Multicultural Services.
Students traveled from across the nation to attend from as far as Illinois to as close as Texas Southern University-Houston.
Karen Onyirioha, a junior biology major and director of registration, said it was not her personal experience that made the conference meaningful, but the experiences of others.
Onyirioha oversaw the conference registration, which included Texas schools such as University of Texas, Amarillo State and Austin Community College.
Jerren Willis, a senior mechanical engineering major and director of marketing for the conference, said the event was empowering and that it was rewarding to see the completed project.
"You get a great feeling from it after you sit back and look at everything that was accomplished," Willis said.
The SBSLC was established in 1989 and the weekend's events marked the 21st conference on A&M's campus.
For Barber, the closing banquet ceremony had special meaning. Barber was named chairman for next year's conference. Steven Charles Levingston held the position for the previous two conferences.
"It's not about me," Barber said, "it's about what we can provide."
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com