Welcome to the OBSA Website!

Welcome to Issue #2!
Welcome to the new Office of Black Student Affairs newsletter! The UHURU newsletter is distributed online twice per semester and features student articles about current events and issues, information about scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students, and information about on-campus activities! Enjoy!

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OBSA Activities for February!

Tuesday, Jan. 31- OBSA Film Showing of Orlando Bagwell's "Citizen King", (6pm at OBSA, another showing at 8pm.)

Starting Jan. 31, there will be a Pan African Student Association meeting every other Tuesday (7pm at CMC's Appleby Lounge)--except the Feb. 14th meeting will be held on the Monday, Feb. 13th in observation of St. Valentine's Day.

Wednesday, Feb. 1- The OBSA Social Lunch will be held on February 1st, 2006 at the office (139 E. Seventh St.) from 12-1pm--RSVP by Monday January 30th with meal card number! Also, please bring an emblem (photo, poem, etc.) of the person(s) of African descent that inspired you the most in your life!

Jan. 17-Feb. 3- 5-C Black Infant Care Drive (139 E. Seventh St.)

Thursday, Feb. 2- OBSA Movie Night John Singelton's "Rosewood" (8pm at OBSA)

Tuesday Feb. 7- OBSA Movie Night Haile Germia's "Sankofa" (8pm at OBSA)

Tuesday, Feb. 14- OBSA Movie Night "Love Jones" (8pm at OBSA)

Friday, Feb. 17- OBSA Event (for women of color) "Set the Mood" (8pm-Location TBA)

Saturday, Feb. 18- OBSA Gospel Brunch (10:30-12pm at CMC Collins Dining Hall)

Tuesday, Feb. 21- OBSA Movie Night "Hotel Rwanda" (starring Don Cheadle) (8pm at OBSA)

Thursday, Feb, 23- OBSA Movie Night Spike Lee's "School Daze" (8pm at OBSA)

Tuesday, Feb. 28- Reception for Wall of Respect (8:15pm at OBSA)

Tentative Events to Look Out For!
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Tuesday, Feb. 14- (Tentative) Film Showing of original documentary "NO!" about rape in Black communities!

(Date TBA) PASA/UJIMA Social at John's Incredible Pizza

Thursday, Feb. 9th- Kevin Powell Recption at SCORE office (9pm at 1030 Dartmouth Ave.)

Wednesday, Feb. 15- Kumea Shorter-Gooden, author of "Shifting" (Time TBA)

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Fellowships & Scholarships
The OBSA website has a long list of scholarships available for both undergraduate and graduate students, if interested, click the scholarship link to the left.

a) National Alliance for Excellence Scholarships
Go to: www.excellence.org
The student competitors can be seniors or already in college. They must submit an application that can include recommendations (academics), art (slides), dance (tapes), photographs, or other materials that point to talent and achievement in all areas. The awards are for a minimum of one year, and over 100 are granted. Applications can be submitted any time. The selection process is ongoing.

b) Harry S. Truman Scholarship
Go to: www.truman.gov
This is one of the most prestigious scholarships, shaped for students who intend to pursue a career targeted to public service or government. Graduate study should be a goal, with a portion of the funds directed there. You must be at least a junior, and your college must nominate you. A "nomination" package must be created. The awards can reach as high as $30,000 over the years. Generally about 80 students are selected. The deadline is February 1.

c) Project Excellence Scholarships
Go to: http://www.project-excellence.com
The award: $4000 or higher (to full tuition). Number of winners: at least 600. Academic merit, leadership, community service, all fiends. Deadline: Feb. 1.

d) National Association of Black Journalists
Go to: www.nabj.org/info_nonsustain.html
NABJ offers 10 scholarships. It's a $2,500 award. Students should be attending a four-year university. They must present three letters of recommendation from a school adviser, deal or a faculty member. Also, a 500-800 world article on a Black journalist must be presented. A grade point average of 3.0 is desirable. Eligible students must be majoring in journalism-print, photography, radio, or television. One of those should be a career goal. Deadline is March 3.

Graduate Opportunities!
a) Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Graduate Scholarship Programs

b) The Organization of American Historians (OAH)
Sponsors or co-sponsors 17 different Awards, Prizes, Fellowships, and Grants in recognition of scholarly and professional achievements in the field of American history for scholars and historians at all levels. The award amounts vary. Citizenship: unrestricted. Deadlines: varies (annual).
INQUIRIES: 812/855-9852; EMAIL: oah@oah.org;
WEB: http://www.oah.org/activities/awards/

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"Sports, College Life, and Other Important Things..."
by
Stilian Morrison

Those who avidly watch sports have their favorite club teams. The common ones I have heard at Pomona are Lakers, Angels, Seahawks, to name a few. Few ever mention soccer teams, but then the sport was never a big part of American culture. My lawfully wedded squad is Manchester United, for better or worse. This English Premier League soccer team, once indomitable champions, has had its recent struggles.

Even during the matches they have won of late there have been questions asked of their performance. They fielded an uncharacteristic team formation during one such recent game, the reasons borne out of injury and lack of players in certain positions. Their attacking players salvaged the game for them and prompted one journalist to invoke cliché, reminding readers that necessity is the mother of invention. Funnily enough, it occurred to me that my personal success had a lot in common with my team’s trials and tribulations and even more in common with the popular expression.

There is no right or wrong way to go about having a successful and fulfilling undergraduate experience. I do not claim expertise, but I will claim that “necessity” has worked wonders in propelling me toward this goal. Higher education is a long-term investment with substantial outlays at the outset. The risk of a poor return to college education is less likely to bother the wealthy suburbanite than a scholar from a struggling blue-collar family. For international students, many of whom are on scholarship, necessity is especially vital because the next best alternative is so much worse than those available to poor and rich Americans. The cost is implicit; to invoke another cliché, time is money. Among the students enrolled at premier colleges and universities in the country, international students rank near the top. I do not have a credible sociological analysis for this effect, but I will say as an international student that necessity drives my success.

Yet, success is relative and the standards we set remain arbitrary. Also, one can not very well change one’s background and upbringing to reflect necessity. The necessity I speak of here reflects the need to challenge oneself by setting the stakes high enough so that failure is not an option. For example, when you take that upper-division course for your major, think of it as if your entire transcript depended on the grade from this class (many potential employers will ask about low grades and can spot a flimsy answer even before you may realize you are talking garbage). Of course, you must also remember that you are not a hermit. Your stakes are conditioned on the expectations of your family, peers, faculty and professionals. A major in philosophy may help you articulate those life questions circulating in your mind, but you may have trouble finding good exit opportunities from a field with little practical application.

Also, it is important to remember that personal challenges complement and offset each other. Physical activity, especially yoga, relaxes the mind and boosts endorphins that promote a sense of well-being by working as natural pain killers. Cognitive patterns will be more lucid and you may find yourself raising the bar for expectations of academic performance. Those double chocolate-chip cookies at Frary are delicious, but the excess carbs quickly become fat, slowing physical and mental performance.

Finally, I would encourage all individuals to treat adverse circumstances as an extra challenge to whatever goal lies ahead. As Black students, most of us know the odds are not in our favor. Rather than be depressed or frustrated, I relish at the challenge: the expectations doubled, the stereotypes reinforced, only for me to step up and walk away laughing while the haters realize what a foolish mistake they made. Marcus Garvey said those who lack confidence are twice defeated in the race of life. Marinate on that and remember it when you think the task at hand is too hard and you are tempted to drop to the mediocre.

Interested in being a student contributor on the OBSA Newsletter?
Email Me!

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TUTORING is available in several subjects!
Chemistry: TBA (soon!)
Calculus: TBA
French: Wed (7-10pm), Fri (9-12pm)
Spanish: Mondays (7-9pm)

Each session is held at the OBSA office. Call (909) 607-7352 for more information!

Interested in a scholarship? If so, click here...

Want to know how to take the right steps to get to grad school,
check out this breakdown!

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OBSA Office Hours!
Monday - Thursday 8:30-5pm & 7-10pm
Friday - 8:30-5pm
Saturday - Closed
Sunday - 6-10pm

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