Moines Des Register
02/21/06
ISU to host black student government conference
By LISA LIVERMORE REGISTER AMES BUREAU Iowa State University senior Jowelle Benson said she left a black student government conference two years ago at Kansas State University feeling empowered. Now, as co-chairwoman, she's working to bring the same experience to the 1,200-plus students from 60 to 70 institutions expected to attend the 29th annual Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government, set for Thursday through Saturday at ISU. In an interview Monday, she summed up the issues she contemplated at past conferences. "How do you study for a test? How do you deal with being the only minority student in your classroom, and not being afraid to speak out and answer a question?" she said. Participants think about "how to live in an academic environment that's on a predominantly white campus." At ISU, blacks constitute 2.7 percent of enrolled students in 2004, while whites make up 83.5 percent, a university factbook says. The conference will feature workshops on issues such as academics and preparing for the work force, said Benson, of Des Moines. Japannah Kellogg, an ISU director of student services, support said the conference would help students who face similar challenges inspire each other. "There's still not a lot of representation on college campuses," he said. "When the students come together, they can compare those similarities and differences, encourage each other to continue their journey -- hopefully make that a little better." The conference theme is "Construction Before Destruction: Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today." Speakers will include Ako Abdul-Samad, founder of Creative Visions, a human development center in Des Moines; Jeffrey Johnson, who appears on the Black
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