LBC senators attend conference
Senators said they will apply what they learned to improve LBC.
Published Feb. 20, 2007
After attending the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government, the Legion of Black Collegians is working to improve its communication so it can serve the entire campus more effectively.
Twenty-four LBC members attended the annual conference from Feb. 15-18 in Lincoln, Neb.
"We're going to focus on working on our promotion, clarification of our values and what exactly we stand for and who we represent," Political Committee Chairwoman Ashley Yates said. "Because LBC is for every student on this campus, not only minority students, not only African-American students, but every student on this campus."
Executive Secretary Porscha Kirkwood also attended the conference.
"I think LBC brought back more influential ways to not only empower us as a council but possibly affect more students on our campus, not just black or white, but all students," she said.
Kirkwood also is a member of the Big 12 Council. She said the opportunity to meet with other leaders proved helpful.
"I found out more influential ideas that are going on in different campuses around the Big 12," she said. "We can bring (those ideas) back to Mizzou and hopefully make LBC even a greater student government."
Parliamentarian Bianca Tillard-Gates said the conference helps make LBC a better organization.
"I think that we learned ways to become a better organization," she said. "(We learned) ways to be more effective, as leaders, more effective on our campus."
Senator Jonathan Snipes said the opportunity to talk about his job with similar leaders at other schools was a positive experience.
"You gain a lot of networking skills," he said. "You get to meet people from all over and basically just build upon what they're doing and what's happening on their campuses and what have they done and what trials and tribulations have they went through. You get more of an insight of what you need to do."
Snipes said the theme of the conference, The Power of One, was appropriate, as the event provided an opportunity for him to meet with the leaders from other campuses.
Kirkwood attended seminars about women's empowerment and the importance of Black Studies programs at universities. She said these seminars will help her better serve her organization.
"I feel that it will help me be even more connected to the roots that LBC was founded upon," she said.
Jonathan Sprinkles, who was selected by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities as the 2006 College Speaker of the Year, spoke at the conference.
Tillard-Gates said she thought Sprinkles' speech went over well.
"He gave a lot of tips and a lot of keys to becoming a successful student leader and what you need to maintain communication with other students," she said.
Snipes said he already knew much of the information presented at the conference.
"It was better reinforcement and better ways to go about using those ideas," he said.
For Snipes, one of the highlights of the conference was Sprinkles' speech.
"He talked about the need for students to have their goals at hand and to develop great leadership skills," he said. "It's better for you to have a better understanding and influence on people in order for your work to get done and that you should lead by example."