2008 Woodie Awards
Minority organization dispels racial barriers, unifies campus
Zach Thompson
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
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The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is open to all students who wish to make a difference on campus and within the Chattanooga community, members said.
UTC's chapter of the NAACP began as a means for African-American students to express their concerns and to strengthen ties between different ethnicities in the community, Cornell Gaulman, a Memphis junior and president of NAACP, said.
Because of assumptions that the group is only interested in recruiting African-Americans, the organization is making an effort to inform students of its mission and to dispel previous beliefs of discriminating against different groups of students, Gaulman said.
"The minority student body knows about us on campus well enough," Gaulman said. "People don't understand that the organization is for everyone," he said. "We are about student issues. We also have social and political issues that we try to involve ourselves with as well."
This past semester, NAACP held voter registration drives, membership drives and sent Halloween candy to children at the Ronald McDonald House, he said.
A long running goal of the organization is trying to combat racism, Karenski Nolan, a Trenton, Tenn., senior and NAACP member involved in public relations, said. According to Nolan, even though the presence of racism in the community has lessened, it still lingers in the air.
"People have to learn to respect others and do unto others as you would have them do unto you," Nolan said.
The chapter plans on targeting the issue of racism by working hand-in-hand with the student development office and the student government association to create programs open to all students interested in learning about ethnic and cultural differences, Nolan said.
According to Gaulman, the influx of freshman helped with membership, but due to other student responsibilities, attendance levels have declined.
"We probably have around 100 members," Nolan said. "It's not about quantity. It's about quality. I think that this is one reason why the organization is as strong as it is."
Gaulman and Nolan both agreed if different ethnicities were to become more involved with the organization, then a greater scale of change could occur.
The chapter has a $15 membership fee for students.
Meetings are held every other Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in the Rocky Mountain Room to discuss issues on campus and in the community.
UTC's chapter of the NAACP began as a means for African-American students to express their concerns and to strengthen ties between different ethnicities in the community, Cornell Gaulman, a Memphis junior and president of NAACP, said.
Because of assumptions that the group is only interested in recruiting African-Americans, the organization is making an effort to inform students of its mission and to dispel previous beliefs of discriminating against different groups of students, Gaulman said.
"The minority student body knows about us on campus well enough," Gaulman said. "People don't understand that the organization is for everyone," he said. "We are about student issues. We also have social and political issues that we try to involve ourselves with as well."
This past semester, NAACP held voter registration drives, membership drives and sent Halloween candy to children at the Ronald McDonald House, he said.
A long running goal of the organization is trying to combat racism, Karenski Nolan, a Trenton, Tenn., senior and NAACP member involved in public relations, said. According to Nolan, even though the presence of racism in the community has lessened, it still lingers in the air.
"People have to learn to respect others and do unto others as you would have them do unto you," Nolan said.
The chapter plans on targeting the issue of racism by working hand-in-hand with the student development office and the student government association to create programs open to all students interested in learning about ethnic and cultural differences, Nolan said.
According to Gaulman, the influx of freshman helped with membership, but due to other student responsibilities, attendance levels have declined.
"We probably have around 100 members," Nolan said. "It's not about quantity. It's about quality. I think that this is one reason why the organization is as strong as it is."
Gaulman and Nolan both agreed if different ethnicities were to become more involved with the organization, then a greater scale of change could occur.
The chapter has a $15 membership fee for students.
Meetings are held every other Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in the Rocky Mountain Room to discuss issues on campus and in the community.
