The Panasci Lounge in the Schine Student Center was packed. Alumni stood in groups, laughing, eating and trading dorm horror stories with other alumni and current students. New met old waiting in line to register for the 25th annual Coming Back Together celebration, which began Thursday and will last until Sunday.

CBT is an event where African-American and Latino alumni return to the Hill to speak to current students about life after graduation, tips for success and share experiences through several seminars and workshops that will occur throughout the weekend.

‘CBT is important to the university itself, not just African-American and Latinos because of the history,’ said Angela Morales-Patterson, manger of Alumni Programs for the Office of Program Development. ‘The program was created to be a liaison between alumni and students, so that the black and Latino alumni felt comfortable coming back.’

This year, CBT is welcoming more than 400 alumni back to Syracuse to interact with students and lead seminars and workshops. Topics for these seminars, include ‘Negotiating Your Worth: From Rookie to Executive,’ ‘What SU Didn’t Teach You About Surviving and Thriving After Graduation’ and ‘Strategies for Wealth Creation and Protection.’

Morales-Patterson said she thinks networking is a large part of the weekend. She said it’s not very often this many alumni are on campus for the sole purpose of reaching out and helping students. Especially since CBT only comes to SU once every three years.

‘This is your opportunity to network,’ Morales-Patterson said. ‘This why they come back to campus, so students should talk to them, take their business cards and just take advantage of it.’

As the 25th anniversary, CBT brings new traditions and new art exhibits, such as the ‘Ernesto Paul’ exhibit that is featured in LightWorks in conjunction with Latino History Month. Also, there will be more student presentations by the Kalabash Dance Troupe, La Lucha and the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble this weekend.

‘We want to put students out there and let the alumni see what they are doing,’ Morales-Patterson said. ‘We also want to let them know how much things have changed on campus.’

The increase in minority student organizations isn’t the change on campus. Since the last CBT celebration in 2005, SU has three new deans who are black or Latino: Dean Lorraine Branham of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Dean George Langford of The College of Arts and Sciences and Dean Bea Gonzales of University College.

‘It’s empowering and inspiring, and that’s the point,’ said Eddie Banks-Crosson, the director of fraternity and sorority affairs for the Office of Student Life. ‘We all look for heroes on TV, but they’re right here.’

Banks-Crosson said he feels despite the fact that the weekend seems to be catered towards black and Latino alumni, other races on campus shouldn’t feel alienated by the events.

‘This weekend is really about achievement, but the pretense of the weekend is to highlight African-American and Latino communities’ achievements,’ he said.

The alumni registration office for CBT shows that the weekend isn’t necessarily just for Latino and blacks – as whites, blacks and Latinos were all working together to register visitors for the weekend and discussing final preparations for the Chancellor’s Dinner ceremony.

Some departments are spreading the word about the event to their students. Ashley Robinson, a sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major said that the dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts has been heavily advertising the weekend to all her CRS classes.

‘Minority or not, I know a lot of students who are planning on going,’ Robinson said.

Other plans for the weekend include a keynote address by Tavis Smiley for African American Male Congress’ 10th anniversary convocation, a concert featuring R&B artist Chrisette Michele, a semi-formal dinner dance and Chancellor Nancy Cantor is opening her home to the CBT celebration by hosting a dinner celebration for both alumni and students.

‘This truly a celebration of the success of a culture, everyone should appreciate this diversity,’ Banks-Crosson said.

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on September 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm