Freshman guard Taylor Euler attacks the Maverick defense early in the first half Saturday night in Kansas City. The Hornets lost the UNO 67-91.

Coming off a strong upset game against Ft. Hays State, the Emporia State men’s basketball team couldn’t keep the momentum going as they fell to Nebraska-Omaha Saturday night, 67-91.

Emporia State Coach David Moe attributed a lackluster defense to the blowout victory for UNO.

“We played defense late,” Moe said. “We were in foul trouble because we didn’t get back in transition so we had to foul. We didn’t box out so we had to foul. Everything we did defensively was late, and everything we did offensively was hurried.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the left corner to give the Hornets their first points of the contest. However, the Mavericks went on a 7-0 run to give them a 7-3 advantage with just under 18 minutes to play.

The first timeout on the floor stopped the action with ESU trailing UNO 7-9. With Nebraska-Omaha leading, senior guard Jeremiah Box went down hard with an injury – the injury timeout lasted several minutes, giving both teams a breather with 14:16 left in the half.

A timeout on the floor stopped play at the 11:45 mark with the Mavericks leading 26-19 – at that time Emporia State had 10 fouls to UNO’s four.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern fights for a lay up Saturday night in Kansas City.

Another media timeout saw Nebraska-Omaha up by double-digits on the Hornets, 31-21, with 7:54 to play in the opening period.

Thanks to a traditional three-point play from junior guard Matt Boswell, the Hornets found themselves only down by six at 36-30 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Mavericks, however, would extend the lead to 13 by going on a 9-2 run, putting the score at 45-32 with just over three minutes to play in the first half.

UNO led by as much as 14 until four consecutive Hornets points forced the Mavericks to call timeout with ESU trailing 37-47.

Emporia State went into the locker room trailing Nebraska-Omaha 40-49.

After a slow start, the Hornets finally scored from a dunk by junior forward Adam Holthaus.

A timeout on the floor gave a break in the action with Emporia State still trailing 46-58 with 15:17 remaining in the contest. The Mavericks extended their lead to 13 at 64-51 with 11:29 left before a media timeout stopped play.

ESU went down by 19 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, 51-70. Emporia State called timeout with 8:39 left to play with the score at 75-55 in favor of UNO.

The final media timeout of the game came at the 3:24 mark with the Hornets behind Nebraska-Omaha 66-86.

Junior guard Matt Boswell drives the lane Saturday night in Kansas City.

The large deficit could not be overcome as the Hornets eventually lost to the game, 67-91.

Boswell thought that it was the team’s lack of defensive effectiveness that led to the collapse.

“I don’t think we came out defensively the way we did the other game (vs. FHSU),” Boswell said. “I looked up and I think we had given up 20 (points) within the first five minutes. On a team like that that gets out and runs, we needed to slow it down a little bit…effort wise I thought we were there, but maybe mentally on defense we had a lot of mistakes that hurt us.”

Wilbern credited the Mavericks’ playmaking abilities as to how the score got to where it did.

“They made plays,” Wilbern said. “They just wore us down, wore us out. They continued to make plays. We continued to make mistakes. You get a lead when that happens.”

Boswell scored 17 points to lead the Hornets in scoring, while also pulling down eight rebounds, six of them being on the offensive end. Wilbern chipped in 13 assists and four assists in his last game as a Hornet.

The Hornets ended the season with a record of 14-15.

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Sophomore guard Brittney Miller struggles against the CMU defense Saturday night in the second round of tournament play. The Hornets were not able to catch the Jennies and finished the game 74-79.

The Emporia State women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a slow start against Central Missouri Saturday afternoon as the team lost to the Jennies, 74-79.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider gave UCM guard Kara Fleming credit for their explosive first half.

“I thought Central Missouri was just really, really good in the first half, Kara Fleming in particular,” Schneider said. “Her stat sheet at halftime looked like an NBA line. She really did a great job of getting to the basket, creating plays for others and just being the heart and soul of their team.”

The Jennies were the first to score on a three-pointer from guard Brittney Slifer. Junior forward Alli Volkens scored four consecutive points for the Hornets to start the offensive barrage, the first two coming from the free throw line and the next two in the paint.

The Hornets went up by three at 12-9 thanks to a half hook shot from sophomore guard Brittney Miller with just over 15 minutes to play. The first timeout on the floor of the half stopped the action with the Hornets trailing Central Missouri 12-13 with 13:18 remaining in the half.

Right out of the timeout, freshman guard Rachel Hanf hit a three-pointer at the top of the key, giving the Hornets a 15-13 lead.

With 9:23 left in the half, the Hornets were up on the Jennies 22-20.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston goes for a lay up Saturday night at Kansas City.

Central Missouri used quick defense to go on a 10-2 run, putting the score at 30-22 in favor of UCM before Schneider called timeout with 7:41 left in the half. The Jennies continued their dominance, leading the Hornets by as much as 11 with 5:10 to play in the first half.

UCM called timeout after an ESU comeback effort set the score at 38-44, advantage Central Missouri.

The Hornets went into the locker room at halftime still trailing UCM, 41-50.

Emporia State started the second half on a 7-2 run, sparked by a big three-pointer from senior guard Lacy Corker. A Central Missouri timeout broke the action with the Hornets behind the Jennies 48-52 with 17:20 left in the contest.

The first media timeout of the half saw the Hornets still trailing UCM, 48-54, with 15:52 to play.

The Hornets battled back to cut the lead to one at 53-54, but a string of Jennies long shots put Emporia State back down by six, 53-60 with 11:59 left in the second half.

Thanks to a shot from behind the arc from Corker, the Hornets only trailed the Jennies by two, 60-62, with just over nine minutes remaining.

Senior forward Alli Volkens shoots over a Jennies' defender Saturday night in Kansas City.

Central Missouri used a quick spurt to get back up by eight points, 70-62, with 7:29 to play before Schneider called timeout. The final media timeout of the game saw Emporia State trailing Central Missouri 67-72 with 3:51 left in regulation.

The Hornets pulled within two of UCM’s lead at 71-73 with 1:28 remaining before Schneider called timeout to set up a play.

A traveling call on Volkens gave Central Missouri possession with under a minute to play.

In the end, the Hornets couldn’t overcome the deficit and fell to the Jennies, 74-79.

According to Corker, the team’s defense was a cause of concern throughout the game.

“Offensively, things were going fine now and then, but then once we would do good on offense, we’d come down on defense and they would come right back at us,” Corker said. “We didn’t get enough stops at the right time.”

Senior guard Cassondra Boston said that the team’s slow start led to the eventual loss.

Senior guard Lacy Corker works for a shot Saturday night in Kansas City.

“They just came out really hard and played really well,” Boston said. “We started off really slow, and at this time of the year we can’t keep starting off really slow like that.”

Boston led the Hornets in scoring with 22, while also adding five steals and four rebounds. Volkens chipped in 15 points and nine boards.

The loss marked the end of the road in the MIAA Tournament for the Hornets. The team will now wait to see where they are seeded for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern attacks the basket Friday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. The Hornets upset the #2 seed Tigers walking away with a 65-61 victory.

It took the entire 40 minutes to decide the fate of the Emporia State men’s basketball team as they wound up upsetting the Tigers of Ft. Hays State Friday night, 65-61.

Emporia State Coach David Moe thought that the team responded well to the third outing against the Tigers.

“Obviously from the last time we played them we had to make some changes,” Moe said. “I thought all week we did a great job adjusting to things we had to do.”

A three-pointer from Ft. Hays to start the game put the Hornets behind 0-3 early. After an easy basket on the low block from the Tigers, senior guard Matt Boswell scored two points for ESU on a close jump shot. Off of two consecutive steals, senior guard Lamar Wilbern struck twice for the Hornets, giving the team a 6-5 edge with just under 17 minutes to play in the opening half.

After the teams traded points back and forth for several minutes, a media timeout stopped the action with Emporia State leading Ft. Hays 15-14 with 13:54 remaining. The Hornets went up by four at 20-16 on when Wilbern struck gold on a 15 foot jump shot.

With 8:21 left to play in the half, senior guard Jeremiah Box hit a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 23-16 advantage – FHSU Coach Mark Johnson called timeout to regroup his team’s efforts.

Following a media timeout, the Tigers made a small run, getting to within three points of the Hornets lead at 23-20. However, ESU utilized quickness and turnovers on the defensive side of the ball to extend the lead back to seven, 27-20, which forced Johnson to call another timeout.

Senior guard Tim Niles fights against the FHSU defense Friday night in Kansas City.

The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Hornets commanding a 31-23 lead over the Tigers with 3:53 remaining in the half. Emporia State went into the locker room at halftime ahead of Ft. Hays, 33-27.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus scored the first four points of the second half for the Hornets, one set coming on a basket on the low block and the other on the free throw line.

The Hornets extended their lead to 12 points with just under 15 minutes to play thanks to a shot in the paint by junior guard Matt Boswell.

A timeout on the floor stopped the game with 14:02 remaining and the Hornets ahead of the Tigers 41-31.

In an effort to make a comeback, FHSU went on a 10-3 run, which led to a timeout by Moe with 9:03 left in the contest. The Hornets, however, would do their best to fend off the run, going on a small run of their own to set the score at 49-41 before a media timeout stopped the action with 7:20 left to play. Ft. Hays State then went on a 6-0 run to get back within two of the Hornets lead, 49-47, before Moe called timeout with 5:01 to play.

With 3:35 remaining in the contest, the final media timeout of the game gave the action a break with the Hornets still leading the Tigers, 53-49.

Junior guard Matt Boswell takes a 3 point shot agains FHSU Friday night in Kansas City.

A big three-pointer from FHSU cut the Hornets lead to three at 59-56 with 30.2 seconds left in the game.

However, Emporia State would hit key free throws down the stretch and upset the #2 seed Tigers 65-61.

Boswell said that the team had used the close losses from earlier on in the season as a learning tool to help them in this game.

“I think from the beginning of the year, we’ve learned a lot from our losses, especially down the stretch,” Boswell said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games…we might have folded earlier in the year…we fought together and kept playing defense and made free throws down the stretch.”

According to Wilbern, the experience gained from the close losses was invaluable.

“It’s huge,” Wilbern said. “Because a lot of them (close games), we lost. The biggest thing now is that it’s in the tournament. We got it together at the right moment.”

The Hornets are set to play Nebraska-Omaha next. The semifinal game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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Senior guard Sophia Lenard shoots over a FHSU defender Thursday night during the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The Hornets beat the Tigers 72-66.

After a rough start, the Emporia State women’s basketball team was able to pull together and defeat Ft. Hays State 72-66 in the first round of MIAA Tournament action.

A trio of three-pointers late in the game from senior guard Jamie Augustyn led the Hornets to come back from a large deficit.

“I just did what I do,” Augustyn said. “My teammates did a really good job of finding me open, so I just shot it.”

Freshman guard Jocelyn Cummings was the first to score for the Hornets on a slashing move to the basket. With just over 17:30 to play in the first half, the Hornets found themselves down 3-7 thanks to a pivotal Ft. Hays three-pointer.

The first media timeout of the half stopped the action at the 15:56 mark with ESU trailing the Tigers 5-7. Following the timeout, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run until senior guard Sophia Lenard made a basket in the paint.

Another media timeout saw the Hornets still trailing Ft. Hays State, 9-15, with 11:20 remaining in the half.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider was forced to call a timeout when the Tigers’ lead extended to 11 with 8:09 left in the half.

Senior guard Lacy Corker made a three-pointer following the timeout, cutting Ft. Hays State’s lead to eight, 12-20. Two straight treys from Ft. Hays’ Naomi Bancroft put the Hornets behind by 14 with just over six minutes to play in the half. The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Tigers with a 29-17 lead over Emporia State with 3:27 remaining.

Senior guard Lacy Corker puts up a 3 point shot Thursday night in Kansas City.

A well executed offensive play by the Hornets saw Cummings take it to the rim and score, cutting the lead to 10. A pair of free throws from Lenard and a slashing basket by Boston saw the Hornets pull within six of Ft. Hays’ lead, 23-29, with just over a minute to play in the opening period.

A three-pointer from the Tigers gave them a nine point cushion going into halftime with a 32-23 lead over ESU.

Schneider said that Hays’ effort in the first half proved to be formidable.

“In the first half, Hays was really good,” Schneider said. “I really felt like the difference between the two halves (was) Hays’ seniors played like they wanted to play another game. They out-competed our seniors.”

Boston led the Hornets in their comeback effort with seven early second half points. A timeout on the floor stopped the action at the 11:33 mark with the Hornets trailing the Tigers 38-47.

Augustyn sparked the comeback by the Hornets, who cut the Tigers lead to four at 43-47 with just under 10 minutes to play. Junior forward Alli Volkens followed up Augustyn’s basket with one of her own on the low block, setting the score to 47-45 in favor of FHSU. Another three-pointer from Augustyn that led the Hornets to within one of the Tigers’ lead, 48-49, led to a timeout by Ft. Hays Coach Tony Hobson.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston attacks the FHSU defense Thursday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

Following the timeout, ESU finally took the lead thanks to yet another Augustyn three-pointer. The Hornets went on a 7-2 run after the timeout by Ft. Hays, bringing the score to 55-51 in favor of Emporia State with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.

Boston said that it was at this point the seniors realized it was time to step up.

“We knew we had to pick it up right then and there,” Boston said. “I just kept stressing that every possession mattered. We couldn’t take any possessions off.”

Ft. Hays went on a small run of their own to tie the game up at 55 with 4:08 left to play.

The final media timeout saw ESU leading FHSU 58-57 at the 3:37 mark.

A myriad of lead changes occurred in the final few minutes of the game until a hard earned basket on the low block by Volkens stretched the Hornets’ lead to three, 66-63, with 1:04 remaining in the half.

Following a FHSU timeout, a trip to the charity stripe for Boston led to two more points, extending their lead to five, 68-63 with under a minute to play.

Boston gave the Hornets four more free throw points as the team left the court with a victory over the Tigers, 72-66.

Boston led all scorers with 23 on 6 of 18 shooting. Augustyn chipped in 11 points, while Volkens and senior guard Lacy Corker added 10 points each.

The Hornets will now face Central Missouri in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:15 on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was put into effect on Feb. 22, and while it will enforce many new stipulations, its main focuses are to protect young consumers and make credit card use and payments easier and better understood by the general public. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was put into effect on Feb. 22, and while it will enforce many new stipulations, its main focuses are to protect young consumers and make credit card use and payments easier and better understood by the general public.

“For too long, credit card companies have had free rein to employ deceptive, unfair tactics that hit responsible consumers with unreasonable costs,” President Barak Obama wrote in a formal statement following the enactment of the bill. “But today, we are shifting the balance of power back to the consumer and we are holding the credit card companies accountable.”

One major provision of the act requires persons under the age of 21 to have a cosigner who is responsible for the cardholder’s debt, should they accumulate any. That cosigner must also agree to any increase in spending limits.

“No increase may be made in the amount of credit authorized to be extended under a credit card account for which a parent, legal guardian, or spouse of the consumer, or any other individual has assumed joint liability for debts incurred by the consumer in connection with the account before the consumer attains the age of 21, unless that parent, guardian, or spouse approves in writing, and assumes joint liability for, such increase,” the act reads.

The Act also prohibits credit card companies from offering enticements such as free giveaways for signing up for a credit card on college campuses or at college-sponsored events.

Rob Catlett, economics professor at Emporia State, said that while he agrees with some stipulations of the act, the age restriction is not one of them. The age provision affects most traditional college students, and Catlett said that 18 years of age rather than 21 would be a better age restriction.

“Restricting the flow of credit to college student is treating them in kind of a childish way,” Catlett said. “If I were a student I’d feel uncomfortable with that.”

The Act is aimed at protecting students from accumulating bad credit through their college years, which Catlett said is a problem for some students, but not the majority.

“I’ve had enough students who have visited with me because they’ve gotten way in over their heads and it makes it challenging to focus on their academic work when they’re in serious financial trouble because they’ve overspent,” Catlett said. That’s a problem, but it’s not a problem with the general student population. I think most students handle their credit wisely.”

In fact, the average balance is $452 for the 35 percent of college students who did not pay their credit card balance in full each month in 2008, an amount that is down from 2007 by 19 percent. It is approximately one-third the amount of the average balance of non-students, according to the Student Monitor annual financial services study.

Catlett said that this particular provision “protects consumers a little too much.”

“It will help to have some people who are not in a position to repay that, to keep them out of trouble,” Catlett said. “But it also is problematic in terms of establishing credit and showing one can use it responsibly.”

Laura Bosiljevac, freshman biology major, agrees with the age provision because of personal experience. Multiple times, she said she has overdrawn on her debit card without realizing it, for which she has been charged a $35 fee. While she acknowledged that she should have been more careful, she said it is still a problem that she thinks could be partially alleviated by the age provision.

“I’m already afraid to get a credit card, but you have to build up credit somehow,” Bosiljevac said. “But a lot of college students, having the low income jobs that they do, I don’t think they need to go out and be spending senseless money because our economy is already in trouble the way it is.”

In addition to young consumer protection, the act also prohibits credit card companies from increasing rates retroactively or within the first year an account is opened, or to use over-limit fee traps. Also, it is now required that they send consumers ample notifications of any changes to the terms of the card and have clear payment dates and times.

“There are many things that got tightened up that really were long overdue because the information that was coming from credit card companies was so detailed that few people could really understand it,” Catlett said. “And this effectively reigned in some of those practices that were I think deceptive, predatory, and enriching of credit card companies at peoples’ expense that wouldn’t realistically be able to understand without that guidance.”

Obama said that while the new rules are a step in the right direction, the consumers remain responsible for payments.

“These new rules don’t absolve consumers of their obligation to pay their bills, but they finally level the playing field so that every family and small business using a credit card has the information they need to make responsible financial decisions,” Obama said.

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ESU’s Teacher’s College is among the top four in the nation and currently has 145 students in the student teaching phase. These future educators flocked to the Educators Career Fair sponsored by Career Services yesterday in Webb Lecture Hall in hopes of finding job offers.

But of the 59 districts that attended, only four posted a cumulative total of 13 positions that need to be filled on a board in Webb Lecture Lobby. Exact statistics on job listings were unavailable from June Coleman-Hull, director of career services.

Coleman-Hull said the number of districts represented is down from 73 last spring and 105 in the spring of 2008, likely a repercussion of financial hardships facing schools because of state budget cuts.

“Higher education took a big hit and the public schools were starting to see that big hit last year, but people didn’t anticipate another hit again this year, so the number (of districts looking to hire and attending the career fair) has certainly dropped almost in half,” Coleman-Hull said.

The jobs posted were in the fields of Special Education, Music, Math, English, Elementary Education and Science in the districts of Turner, Gardner, Hugoton and for Sedgwick County Area Educational Services Interlocal Cooperative.

“There are much fewer jobs and districts are very tentative about hiring for jobs right now because they’re not completely clear on what their budget is going to look like,” Coleman-Hull said. “Therefore they’re not willing to extend contracts to teachers because the jobs just either may not be there or they aren’t there, so certainly much fewer jobs for our student candidates.”

Kathryn Taylor, assistant superintendent of Chanute Public Schools in Chanute, said that her district is not currently looking to hire. Instead, she hopes that by attending the fair, her district can become more known to students in the future.

Taylor is an ESU alumna, which is one reason she likes to attend the Educators Career Fair at ESU and is why she looks at ESU graduates before considering others, even though her district is located near Pittsburgh State University.

“I’m an alum, and therefore I know the quality of the students that are produced by Emporia State University going out into education,” Taylor said. “I have hired many ESU graduates and have never been let down by the quality of those that I’ve hired.”

Jestin Blake graduated from ESU in December with a degree in elementary education and has not found a permanent teaching job.

“It’s been difficult,” Blake said. “In December, there was one opening for January, but I just went into subbing. I came here because there are different school districts that I wanted to talk to and I felt that it was important just to show my face and to get my name out there to the schools.”

Cruz Jasso of the Emporia school district encouraged future educators to keep an open mind and take a job where they can find one because things will get better in a couple years and then they can pursue the district of their interest.

Coleman-Hall said education students who are preparing for graduation should use their networks and connections to find jobs and market the advantages of hiring a brand new graduate, like current training in their field. She said there may be more job opportunities in the future.

“(The job market for educators) is going to recover in a couple of years,” Coleman-Hull said. “It will not recover fully is my prediction. Students should look into alternatives to classroom teaching and what else they might want to do that allows them to work with kids but not necessarily in the classroom.”

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: As a part of women’s history month, ESU assistant professor of history, Joyce Thierer held a performance named “This Land Can Not Be Sold” last Tuesday night at Bruder Theatre in King Hall in the form of a personal narrative. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

As a part of women’s history month, ESU assistant professor of history, Joyce Thierer held a performance named “This Land Can Not Be Sold” last Tuesday night at Bruder Theatre in King Hall in the form of a personal narrative.

Thierer portrayed a woman named Grower, who lived in a plains Earth Lodge village before white settlers came. As a composite character, Grower told teaching stories that are stories that have been told by native peoples, and talked about change, trade and farming.

“Some people call it oral biography,” Thierer said. “I chose the name Grower because to grow is what women did, to be a grower, someone to grow things need to be women. I grow thing but there will be more complex name that one will not share with the culture because you have your personal name and public name. ”

The people created by Thierer with the background of American and Western history are concerned about loss not so much of control of the land, but of use of land.

“They know very well what has happened to the peoples to the East, how they have lost the land because the women, not the men, were farming it. For all of these peoples, to farm, to be a producer of food means to be a woman. This is one of the basic clashes of cultures, that of production – what it is and who does it,” Thierer said.

At the end of the performance, the issue for Grower is that of how many of the white ways the people will need to adopt to survive.

“I have never seen this kind of historic performance before. Dr. Joyce left me strong impression and impact with her unique performance,” said Alison Li, junior business major. “I was not familiar with the history that was told tonight before, but now I know it. It’s about hope, about survival, about adjusting to the change. It makes me think about it again and again.”

“With performance, we have one time to connect, and the level of excitement is what I learn from the performance. I am working very hard on my teaching delivery and my teaching style,”
Thierer said.

Thierer held her first performance of Calamity Jane in 1988 while she was working on her doctorate degree in history from Kansas State University and teaching history for Emporia State University.

“History is the story of the choices we have made over time, and the story of how we have explained those choices,” Thierer said.

Some of Thierer’s creative performance teaching styles were inspired by her earlier experience. Thierer has been performing with “Ride into History” since she founded the historic performance touring troupe in 1990.

“The more I think, the much better the students like it,” Thierer said. “Because when I am out on the road, and I drive around campus, and talk to Kansa, I get excited about the topics, so it keeps me always thinking. The performances keep me learning and interested in it,”

Thierer recently published, “Telling History: A Manual for Performers and Presenters of First-Person Narratives,” and also won the Philadelphia Award.

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Aishah Shahidah Simmons, documentary filmmaker and lecturer speaks with students about her documentary, “NO!,” Monday afternoon in Visser Hall 330. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The hardships and struggles that faced the black community in the past, and its current struggle against sexual violence was discussed by mother and daughter speakers in a series of events presented by the department of ethnic and gender studies last Monday and Tuesday.

“My making ‘No!’ was something that I tried to separate myself from, and I am not actually anywhere in the film,” said Aishah Shahidah Simmons, documentary filmmaker and lecturer. “But as I went along, I found out that I had everything to do with it. Through the production of the film, I found that I healed.”

The presentations began on Monday with a workshop by Aishah Simmons concerning documentary filmmaking, and particularly focused on examples that dealt with issues facing the black community. About 15 ESU students and faculty attended. Her film “No! The Rape Documentary” was shown on Tuesday night in Visser Hall.

“I never knew how much of an issue (sexual violence) was for African-American women,” said Frances Busby, senior secondary English education major. “Social issues play a role in the classroom, so I am hoping to use the information I learn in the classroom.”

That same evening Aishah Simmons’ mother, Gwendolyn Soharah Simmons, professor of religious studies at the University of Florida, presented her experiences as a college girl that helped with the peaceful protesting organization Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement.

“My story is a small one, but there were so many of us young people who took time out of their lives for the Civil Rights Movement,” Gwendolyn Simmons said. “It really was a great fortune to serve on the frontlines during the movement.”

Gwendolyn Simmons described in great detail the influences and events that brought her into the heart of the Civil Rights clashes in the state of Mississippi in the summer of 1964.

“I had (civil rights information) coming at me from all sides,” Gwendolyn Simmons said. “It didn’t take much to move me from my ‘no involvement’ stance that I had shared with my grandmother.”

The opposition of her family to her joining the movement, particularly her grandmother, was a major theme in the presentation. The danger of the undertaking was the reason for their opposition, Gwendolyn Simmons said.

“My grandmother told me, ‘You’ll be raped, shot and thrown into a creek with a bail of cotton around your neck,’” Gwendolyn Simmons said. “I was shocked when I learned that white men had been killed.”

Gwendolyn Simmons highlighted some of the lesser known groups and demonstrated just how large of a movement the battle for civil rights was.

“It’s too easy to just say Martin Luther King ran the Civil Rights Movement,” said Karen Manners Smith, professor of history and director of the ethnic and gender studies program. “We don’t have as many stories in American history that are as successful as the Civil Rights Movement.”

Some students that attended the lecture felt motivated about what they considered current social injustices.

“I think students today are more apathetic,” said Carlos Pringle, senior history major. “I feel motivated to support the rights of homosexuals, even if people don’t agree with what others do they should support their right to work the job they want and have civil rights.”

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“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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