February is Black History Month

The Inclusion and Community Engagement Center has been working with several on-campus groups to coordinate events for Black History Month.  For a complete list of the events and sponsors, please follow the link at the end of this story.

Here are some of the highlights:

1604 Campus

February 11

Soul Food Extravaganza
A tasting of southern soul food (while it lasts) and a demonstration of how to prepare select items
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
UC Ballroom 2

February 16

African Dance Workshop
Featuring Mwendo Drummers
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
UC Retama Auditorium

February 24

Black History Knowledge Bowl
Test your knowledge in a variety of categories
Sign up as a team or as an individual
http://blackhistorybowl2009.eventbrite.com/
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
UC Denman Room

Downtown Campus 

February 17 - 20

Art Exhibit
A photo exhibit featuring Tony Gaines
“Watermelon Parallels Woman (The Healing)”
“Ladies with Church Hats”
DB Student Activity Center

February 17

Soul Food Extravaganza
Join us for some southern soul food ~ while it lasts
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
DB Student Activity Center

And the signature event:

February 21
Black Heritage Banquet
And Still I Rise…
Dinner, Speaker, Presentation, Dancing
6:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Tickets: $10 UTSA Students; $20 All Others

** This is a ticketed event.  Tickets MUST be purchased in ADVANCE at the ICE Center (UC 2.01.04).  Tickets will NOT be sold at the door.

 

For a complete list of events and sponsors:  Black History Month

For more information please call 210.458.4770

 

Need to CHILL? Join the Inclusion and Community Engagement Center on February 6, 2009 as we celebrate the first “First Friday” of the spring semester in the UC1 Ski Lodge from 11am-1pm. The ICE Center will be providing FREE CUPCAKES and FRUIT PUNCH, as well as an opportunity to show “Luv” for your school by CREATING PENNANTS and other items that show off your SCHOOL SPIRIT! The top designs will win prizes from the UTSA bookstore. Pennants will also be collected to create a special school spirit collage in honor of homecoming.  Students are invited to “Come N Chill” with fellow students as we all prepare for the spring semester to take off. *“First Friday” is the ICE Center’s take on the monthly First Friday events held in the arts district of San Antonio. “First Friday” at UTSA is an opportunity for students to unwind and celebrate being a student. Past “First Friday” events have included free t-shirts, free snow cones, free caramel apples, raffles for haunted house tickets, a joint event with the Diversity Month Celebration and the Mystical Arts of Tibet, and recently an event that contributed to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

 

Each month The ICE Chest will spotlight a student who demonstrates strong leadership skills and qualities and/or actively pursues opportunities to give back to UTSA and the San Antonio community. This month’s spotlight is on Chloe O’Neal

 

“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come; you have to get up and make them” -C.J. Walker

 

Chloe O’Neal has taken these words to heart. A senior here at UTSA, she is the President of the student group UMOJA “The Black Student Network” and the Vice President of Education in ToastMasters International (an organization with an emphasis on public speaking). She has been involved in creating and maintaining the Black Student Leadership Council (an organization that seeks to unite all black student organizations on campus), as well as being involved in the planning and coordination of Black History Month and the Black Heritage Banquet. She is majoring in Spanish and plans to attend law school in the near future.

 

Chloe plays the flute, enjoys writing fiction and hopes to publish her works one day. She states Jesus Christ as one of the biggest influences in her life. She sees herself as an attorney working either with family or immigration law in Dallas. She also sees herself always active and engaged in her community. A piece of advice that she has for all students is that “It’s important to step outside of ones boundaries, you may discover skills that you never knew you had.”

 

 

Resource Library

 

 

 

Come check out our   growing resource library. Whether you are doing research or just looking for a great book on leadership, volunteerism, or a culture other than your own; come and check out your choice of books.

Organization Spotlight:
Men of Honor & Women of Honor

Men of Honor

“Empowerment for Service, Service for Honor”

Men of Honor is composed of 25 active distinguished college men. Founded in September of 2006 Men of Honor strives to eradicate negative images of minority men at UTSA. With a commitment to unify, dignify, and multiply MOH aims to reshape the image of the African American male, Men of Honor promotes service in the community and hosts various programs that have academic, social, ethical, and business components. Carlos Davenport, the current Vice president stated that a true Man of Honor “stands with a purpose and will not be devoured. He walks like a man, talks like a man, and takes care of his business”.

 

The elite comrades of Men of Honor have had various honorable deeds since their conception in 2006. These deeds included a variety of discussions, seminars, women’s appreciation day, voter registration, Week of Elegance, volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill, and homeless outreach entitled “Leave no Man Behind”.

 

Women of Honor

In the fall of 2006 a group of women came together to form a student organization whose purpose is to UNIFY the African American female student body at UTSA, BEAUTIFY their image, and MAGNIFY the best of what a woman is. Women of Honor seeks to eliminate the stereotypes that exist about African American women through community service and acting as a support mechanism for its members. The projects that the organization undertakes are not only for the betterment of African American women on the UTSA campus but the community at large.

 

Throughout the years Women of Honor has created signature events such as the Where are the Men Relationship Forum, a Week of Elegance, and the DIVAS College Readiness Program.  Women of Honor is looking forward to continued growth, both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to participate in this movement to enrich the lives of those who are in the surrounding community.

 

Get Ready to Celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

UTSA traditionally celebrates Asian Pacific Islander heritage Month in April.  We are currently getting ready to begin planning meetings.  If you or an organization of which you are member are interested in helping to plan, host, and/or sponsor an event or events during April as part of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, please let us know.

 

We will be distributing information about the planning meetings during the first week of February.  Keep in touch with our Center for more information about how to get involved with this and any other celebrations and events that we sponsor.

 

www.utsa.edu/ice

210.458.4770

UC 2.01.04