The State of the Black Union at Syracuse University announced Saturday it will create a task force to pursue the advancement of blacks at SU.

The creation of the task force is the first step in creating a more diverse atmosphere at the university, said Kim Harris, senior coordinator for SU’s State of the Black Union.

‘We want to strive for black goals through supporting each other,’ said Harris, a senior policy studies, political science and magazine journalism major.

Eric Morrissette, a senior in The College of Arts and Sciences who helped organize the State of the Black Union event, said the task force was made to continue the dialogue from the event.

‘We want to turn the result into action,’ Morrissette said. ‘It’s always frustrating when people sit and talk but nothing gets solved and everyone leaves heated. This time, we want to turn the work we did into action.’

In small workshops, attendees of SU’s State of the Black Union discussed AIDS and HIV, the 2008 presidential election and financial aid. The task force will ultimately work toward improving diversity at SU.

Harris said anyone could volunteer for the task force, but it would primarily be composed of black students. She hopes the task force should be up and running in a couple of weeks, she said.

‘No one organization can unite the campus, but this (task force), along with the desire for change can help unify the campus,’ Morrissette said.

The State of the Black Union at SU was also meant to unite the several black student organizations on campus in an attempt to create a ‘united we stand’ front, Harris said. The unity would help further the advancement of black students on campus and help black students feel more like they’re a part of the SU community through discussing issues pertinent to the black community, Harris said.

Harris said the AIDS and HIV seminar, run by new student organization SEX S.Y.M.B.A.L.S., touched a chord with those who attended the seminar.

‘People were very passionate about the issue,’ Harris said. ‘They were open to sharing their own experiences, maybe not AIDS specifically, but their sex experience in general. It’s such a touchy topic to talk about, so to have students attend and talk about it is really great.’

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on September 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm