Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005
The Rev. Jeannette Hooks, director of diversity services at ¾¨Ó㴫ý, recently took four ¾¨Ó㴫ý students to the Harambee Summit, which was sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Diversity Consortium.
"The second annual Harambee Summit featured a variety of events," Hooks said. "The Harambee Summit is an education conference geared towards students of color and their allies that will allow them to address issues that are pertinent to their success at predominately white colleges and institutions."
Over 200 students from 13 surrounding colleges attended the summit. Workshop topics included leadership, political awareness, career strategies, African American Greek letter organizations, and many others.
"Harambee is a Swahili word that means let's pull together," Hooks said. "The event featured seven speakers from around the country, each offering a different perspective on issues of leadership and diversity. The summit also offered something that other conferences do not: homework. Students attending the conference were required to submit a two-to-four page essay on the conference theme, Unveiling the Mask to Freedom, as part of registration, and an award was given to the winning essay writers."
The Western Pennsylvania Diversity Consortium is a network of student affairs professionals at institutions of higher education. It serves as a tool to diminish the psychosocial, educational, and cultural isolation of student affairs professionals and students of color. The goals include: encouraging collaborative programming efforts among offices serving student of color in Western Pennsylvania; share expertise on methods of recruitment and retention of students of color in Western Pennsylvania; and assist with educating local communities in Western Pennsylvania on issues pertaining to diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice.
"Since its inception, the Western Pennsylvania Diversity Consortium has been comprised of institutions of higher education in Western Pennsylvania known for their academics and rich traditions," said Hooks, who was one of the founding members of the Consortium.
Founded in 2001, members include Clarion University, Lock Haven University, Penn State Shenango, Slippery Rock University, Thiel College, University of Pittsburgh-Titusville, and ¾¨Ó㴫ý. Since then, Allegheny College, Carlow College, Duquesne University, Geneva College, Grove City College, and Edinboro University have joined.
Hooks, who joined ¾¨Ó㴫ý in 2001, earned her undergraduate degree from Geneva College, and her master's from Duquesne University.
Contact Hooks at (724) 946-7179 or e-mail hooksj@westminster.edu for more information.
