Students encouraged to "Speak Out!"

"SPEAK OUT!," Austin Community College's second annual Diversity Outreach Student Conference, capitalized on the high level of civic participation due to the upcoming presidential election.

The event was organized by the ACC Office of Student Life and hosted at the Eastview Campus on Fri., Oct. 24.

"We wanted to speak about the issues, about politics and diversity," said John Jacobs, Student Life assistant and Conference coordinator.

There were various ACC students as well as student organizations who represented the diversity discussed in the conference.

It was attended by members from Student Government Association (SGA), Sigma Alpha Pi, MOD Squad, Campus Crusade for Christ, ASL Friends United, Active '08, and Latino American Student Organization.

The conference consisted of two "Speak Out" sessions where the attendees selected one of four mini-sessions.

Each discussed a specific topic: sexism, leadership, ACC's role in the education of immigrants, and the Odense Tekniske Gymnasium students from Denmark, also known as the "World's Happiest Nation."

Students compared the Danish free education system to the one in the United States. The two-week visit to Texas landed them in Houston with a stop in Austin.

The experience at the Diversity Conference was described by Emil from Denmark as "very American" and "different, but in a good way."

The speakers at the mini-sessions all represented the diversity promoted at the event. Ronnie McDonald, a Bastrop County Judge and Texas A&M's first African-American Yell Leader, called leadership "the ability to take a person from one level to the next" in his session.

McDonald caught his audience's attention by discussing the "constant battles" he went through as he worked his way to become the Aggies' first black Yell Leader and the first African-American county judge for Bastrop County.

"His session inspired me to step out of the box whenever we need to reinforce some things," said Joyce Anderson, financial aid employee for the Grant Dept., of McDonald's speech.

Crestina Chavez, News 8 Austin Evening News anchor, spoke about women in politics and the media.

"We have such a stronger voice than we did 30 years ago," said Chavez concerning women's ability to express themselves in the workforce and in society.

"The media does an excellent job of dehumanizing women in so many ways," Chavez pointed out about the stereotypical perceptions incorporated by the media.

"Community colleges, especially ACC, should be very happy to have these students enrolled," Dr. Mariano Diaz-Miranda, Director of ACC's Latino/Latin American Studies Center, said of the immigrant students that attend ACC.

He spoke about the positive and lasting impact that ACC's immigrant students have in today's society that still strives for the American dream.

Before the session ended, several members of ACC's SGA took part in a town hall forum to discuss some of the issues students are dealing with, such as Capital Metro transportation, parking at the Pinnacle and Rio Grande Campuses, acts of vandalism on people's vehicles, campus police, and the need for hot water in restrooms at the Rio Grande Campus.

"We appreciate what ACC does, which is getting students involved," said Petra Barraza, director of communication for SGA.

"I learned about how our college works, and how we can speak out with our student government as our voice," said ACC student David DeLuna of the SGA town hall forum.

Many hot button issues were brought up which concern students. The panel from SGA assured all those in the auditorium that any and all issues of concern would be addressed during SGA's meetings that take place every other Friday at the Highland Business Center, and that all ACC students are welcome to attend and let their voices be heard.

The conference left a lasting impression on the ACC students who experienced new perspectives from the diverse people who have adopted the role of leaders in their respective careers.

"I've gained great political knowledge that I'll be able to implement on the college level," said Jack-Ryan Zapata, president of Sigma Alpha Pi Leadership Society.