WILDCATWEEKEND
IT’S WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
friday, January 18 2013 • VOL. 106, ISSUE 82 • DAILYWILDCAT.COM/weekend
students look for ways to celebrate a legacy This weekend, some members of the UA community are observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day — but others question if the UA could be doing more.
N
Shelby Thomas
ita Ocansey left her hometown of Phoenix for the UA with one lesson from her parents in mind: Take initiative. Seven semesters later, Ocansey is a nutritional sciences senior, the president of her chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and the former vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, a collaborative organization that houses the “Divine Nine” African American sororities and fraternities. She is also a member of the Rising Star Baptist church. Ocansey attended a predominantly white high school and expected to have a similar college experience, she said. However, after becoming involved in various organizations through the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center, including African American Student Affairs, the African Student Association and Maximum Education Results in Two Semesters-360 Scholars, she gained an entirely new outlook. “The classes and people on this campus really opened my eyes to seeing this world as a whole different place, and with that, I found my niche and saw that I identified better with people who looked like me,” Ocansey said. “It was just really nice to feel connected with students who shared some of the same goals and experiences.” As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, Ocansey sees it as a time to celebrate her own growth and accomplishments, as well the societal contributions of the great leaders of our time. However, she finds the events on campus underwhelming. “In all honesty, I think the school could do better. The programs at the MLK Center try to do what they can, but I believe the university doesn’t take as much pride in that of the African American culture,” Ocansey said. “It’s sad enough that it took so long for this day to be recognized nationally. It is time for individuals to come together and really recollect the work that was put forward by so many other great leaders, including multicultural leaders in addition to Martin Luther King Jr., and to really celebrate the culture of African Americans and other groups.” The UA has been involved in a variety of celebrations since the early 1990s, said Melissa Vito, vice president for Student Affairs. The university also offers resources for African American students on campus, she added. “The University of Arizona has a number of support services for all students and many of our African American students use them,” Vito said in an email interview. “In addition, the African American Cultural Center helps provide support and a sense of connection for our students. Clearly the work that Martin Luther King Jr. [did] impacted society in many ways. How people choose to honor this varies, but his reach transcends ethnic boundaries.” Interim dean of students Kendal Washington White, who has been an employee of the UA since 1993, said King’s birthday, and more importantly, his ideals, have been celebrated every year. When she first arrived on campus, the university sponsored a celebration on the UA Mall in an effort to engage the campus community, she said. Organizations such as African Americans in the Life Sciences, the National Society of Black Engineers and Greek letter organizations provide African American students the opportunity to engage in campus activities and help create a pattern of enrichment that extends beyond just one holiday. According to White, the university’s faculty has also secured federal grants to increase participation from African Americans’ and other ethnic groups’ in particular career fields. White also shared her opinion on the importance of the holiday. “I am a person who believes in both symbols and substance. The fact that most municipalities in our nation moved towards making the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday an official and observed holiday is a tremendous symbol of the critical nature of his work and how he championed the nation’s ideology regarding the rights of all people via civil disobedience,”
MLK DAY, 2
Arizona Daily Wildcat From top: AASA community facilitator Charles Davis, sustainable built environments freshman Houston Harris, pre-neuroscience freshman Taylor Guidry , nutritional sciences senior Nita Ocansey, psychology freshman Erika Lerma.
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