Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 11-24-15 Edition

Local
Sorority Celebrates 75th Anniversary By Awarding Scholarships
County Commission, City Council to recognize the service of Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) will receive Commendations from the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners ( Dec. 2nd) and Tampa City Council (Dec. 3rd) in recognition of the local international service organiza- tion’s 75th Anniversary.
The organization was founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908 as the first Greek letter sorority by college-educated women of African de- scent. AKA has a membership of over 260,000 women with over 986 chap- ters in 6 countries.
The local Gamma Theta Omega Chapter was the second chapter char- tered in Florida in 1940 by nine Black educators in Tampa. This chapter has been at the forefront of educational, so- cial and political change to improve the human condition. It has impacted the lives of many local individuals and or- ganizations through a myriad of serv- ice-based initiatives addressing
CAROLYN HOUSE STEWART ...28th International President
education, health, the family, arts, eco- nomics and leadership development.
Time, talent and funding supported awarding college scholarships, tutorial and mentoring programs, health and wellness initiatives, voter registration, donations of food and clothing, support of the arts and cultural awareness, eco- nomic empowerment and financial lit- eracy, communication beautification projects, support of Veterans and the underserved community.
DONNA DOUGLAS ...Chapter President
Through the years the chapter has forged strong community partnerships and collaborated with HCC, USF, Uni- versity of Tampa, Metropolitan Min- istries, Trinity Café, West Tampa and Ybor Boys and Girls Clubs, The Chil- dren’s Home, Hillsborough County Schools and other civic organizations. The sorority’s motto is Service to All Mankind. Millions of lives have been impacted and enriched by the service and philanthropy of chapter members.
At the 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Celebration on December 5, 2015 at the Marriott Waterside over $26,500 will be awarded in scholar- ships to high school students. Gamma Theta Omega Chapter has a rich history of supporting education and awarding scholarships since the first scholarship was presented in 1941 at a program at the historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church. Millions of scholarship dollars have been awarded from proceeds of its sig- nature Miss Teenage Tampa of Alpha Kappa Alpha Pageant for 40 years.
The chapter’s history has been writ- ten through the chapter activities, ac- complishments of members in all fields of endeavor in this community and pro- grams of service. The chapter’s internal leadership development has produced members who have served as officers on AKA’s International Board of Direc- tors. (Sonja W. Garcia, 14th South At- lantic Regional Director, Marsha Lewis Brown, 17th South Atlantic Re- gional Director, and Carolyn House Stewart, 28th International President.) Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, Mil- waukee, WS, is the current interna- tional president. Donna Douglas is the chapter president.
USF Students Demand Diversity
JOSE HERNANDEZ Chief Diversity Officer, USF’s Officer of Diversity, In- clusion and Equal Opportunity
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Students at the University of Missouri recently reacted to a string of racial incidents that have occurred on their cam- pus. In the past five years, cot- ton balls have been strewn outside the Black Culture Cen- ter on their campus, a statute was covered with racial slurs, and in September, the student body president, an African American, said he was tar- geted with a racial slur by a group of people in a pickup truck near campus.
In October, students staged a protest at the school’s homecoming parade, and dur- ing that same month, a swastika was drawn with human feces in a residence hall bathroom.
On November 2, a Mis- souri graduate student an-
CHRISTY OWIYE .....USF student who organized the rally.
nounced he would go on a hunger strike until the presi- dent of the school system re- signed or was fired.
Members of the Missouri football team said they would go on strike and not play or practice until the school sys- tem president, Tim Wolfe, resigned. They were successful in getting that man and an- other university staff member to hand in their resignation.
Last Thursday, students at the University of South Florida staged a rally to address their concerns about racial equality on campus.
More than 150 students linked arms and talked about problems at the school. A stu- dent, Christi Owiye organ- ized the rally because she was struck by the similarities she saw between USF and what’s happened at the University of Missouri. Owiye is a senior
More than 150 students gathered to talk about the inequalities at the USF Tampa campus.
studying Mass Communica- tions.
Jose Hernandez, Chief Diversity Officer in USF’s Of- fice of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity, attended the rally, and stood with the students.
“I heard about the rally the same day it happened. I at- tended, and the students were showing support for the stu- dents at Missouri. We had a great turnout, and after that, the students decided they wanted to address some issues that had occurred on campus.
“One area of their concern had been addressed by student affairs and the head of student conduct. One incident in- volved a sorority and that stu- dent left because she felt they were being disrespectful.”
Hernandez said his office continues to address diversity.
“On December 2nd I’ll be meeting with some of the stu- dents to address their issues and give them the support they need. I would like better communication about what’s happening on campus with the media. There are a lot of things we’re doing here, and the pub- lic needs to know that. I realize we can do more, and we will be addressing that as well.
“We are concerned about more diversity on the faculty, and I discuss that every chance I get with the school’s admin- istration. I go to search com- mittee meetings and talk about diversity, and I want to increase the amount of mi- norities we currently have on staff at USF. I’m also con- cerned that we’re not graduat- ing enough minority students with doctorial degrees. We are competing with other schools
to get those students and fac- ulty.”
Hernandez said racial discrimination complaints are taken seriously, and some- times students file a com- plaint, but don’t know how the investigation is being con- ducted.
“There is a level of confi- dentiality that must be main- tained. The students need to know more about that process.
“I’m looking forward to the diversity summit on March 31, 2016 and I hope we will be able to address all of the con- cerns of the students and fac- ulty at that time. We have several organizations working with students to get a better understanding of their con- cerns and needs.”
Hernandez said they will look at ways they can be more responsive to the students.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015