Emporia State’s Black Student Union (BSU) traveled to Texas for the Black Student Government Conference last weekend to learn strategies for leadership and action on ESU’s campus.

“I believe it was one of the most powerful conferences a student can go to for student government and being a student leader,” said Lasonya McElroy, junior communication major. “This conference has helped me stay focused on my goals and what we’re trying to promote.”

The three day conference was held at the University of Texas at Austin where more than 700 students attended.

“The theme for this year was ‘Powerful Beyond Measure,’” said Sheryl Lidzy, assistant professor of communication and theatre. “The purpose of the conference, which was started 33 years ago, is to empower black students to become leaders in the world.”

The conference is attended by the Big XII schools as well as smaller schools, and was started in 1977 to help black students make an impact on their campuses.

“It started in 1977 in Columbia, Missouri,” Lidzy said. “Next year we’re going back to Columbia.”

Some of the themes for the conference included personal health, leadership strategies and finance management.

“The 33^rd Big XII Conference on Black Student Government 2010 program offers you Texas hospitality with a deliberate conference schedule with focused topics that promise to expand your knowledge, invigorate your pursuit of excellence, soothe your soul and fuel your spirit,” said Soncia Reagins-Lilly, senior associate vice president for student affairs of the University of Texas at Austin in a letter to conference attendees. “As your educational career advances, please realize that many people are investing in your leadership and your success.”

ESU’s Black Student Union went to the conference to learn new effective leadership skills, Lidzy said.

“The members of the council are usually the ones that go,” Lidzy said. “I will say that this is not what happened this time, and that we are developing new leaders, which is really exciting.”

The organization of the conference allowed for six keynote speakers for each meal of the conference, and then the students attended workshops for the rest of the conference.

“Some of these workshops included things like how to be black on a primarily white campus, but also how to lead effectively, be an effective adult and even how to deal with relationship issues,” Lidzy said. “They were really cool workshops.”

Speakers carried powerful inspirational messages, and even helped students realize how negatives in their lives could be transformed into positives, McElroy said.

“One of the speakers that stands out to me was a woman named Angel,” McElroy said. “She used her personal story and things that happened to be mistakes and failures in her life and told us how she used what could have destroyed her to her gain.”

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