Of Interest: Knocking Down Affirmative Action - What It Means for America

Q&A with Ellis Cose, a contributing editor with Newsweek magazine and author of the report "Killing Affirmative Action: Would Ending It Really Result in a Better, More Perfect, Union?" published by the USC Annenberg's Institute for Justice and Journalism.

Cose discusses with Brian Shott of New America Media the impact of the initiatives by Ward Connerly to end public affirmative action programs. Michigan voters approved such a ballot intiative during the November midterms, and Connerly says he'll attempt to replicate the initiative in nine other states.

Read the Q&A with Ellis Cose in the Workplace Diversity section of IMDiversity.com Career Center.

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Fresh Idea: Convocation for AND by Students at FAMU

In the last edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, U.S. Senator Barack Obama spoke forcefully of the need for established African American politicians and leaders to get more students involved in political leadership as an important part of a long-term strategy for progress.

"[It's critical] in every institution, whether it’s a law firm or church or what have you, [to make] sure that young people are given entree and opportunity to exert their leadership – and to do substantive work, not just licking envelopes or fetching coffee..." Senator Obama said.

"In the African-American community in particular..." he continued, "sometimes we have a tendency for our leadership to be very protective of their turf and not invite young people in until it’s way too late. The earlier we’re grooming young people and giving them leadership opportunities, and pushing them up front, the better."

A good example of the Senator's sentiment was illustrated ina recent article by Carnell Hawthorne Jr. in Florida A&M University's FAMUAN newspaper: First student keynote speaker at convocation.

For the first time, a student -- 21 year old Student Body President Phillip B. Agnew -- served as the guest speaker before hundreds of listeners at the 30th Annual MLK Convocation ceremony on Jan 11. Rather than inviting a big-name outsider to give the keynote, the move to have a student to hold such a prominent ceremonial position was inspiring to many young people. It was a good example of how institutions can create opportunities for students to develop leadership experiences and voice the concerns unique to their conditions as young people and collegians.

HBCU Newspaper Conference coming to Tallahassee in February

HBCU NEWSPAPER CONFERENCE
When: Feb. 15-17, 2007
Where: Ramada Inn and Conference Center
2900 North Monroe, Tallahassee, FL 32303, (850) 386-1027

For more information about registering / attending, and the nplanned programming for the conference, visit the conference website by the Black Colleges Communications Association.

More Katrina woes for some N.O. students

Black College Wire reports that hundreds of Dillard University dormitory residents who received assistance payments from the federal government after Hurricane Katrina are being asked to repay the money because according to federal officials, they were ineligible for the aid.

Specifically: "Students who lived in a dormitory owned or managed by the school will not qualify for housing assistance because dormitories are not considered a primary residence," said FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Rodi. Instead of applying to FEMA, she added, the students should have first tried to receive compensation for their losses through the school's insurance company, which was National Student Services, Inc. at the time of the hurricane.

Meanwhile, the Tom Joyner Foundation is continuing its drive to raise money to help the city's HBCUs rebuild and to help students stay in school. In a release, the Foundation has set has goal to raise $1 million dollars in a drive to run throughout January, with proceeds going "directly to the rebuilding of Dillard, Xavier and Southern University at New Orleans."

January at BCO

BCO wishes everyone a happy new year, and invite our readers to stop in for some of the recent additions to our site.

As we head into the season for on-campus interviews, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN's staff's attention is turning toward our traditional focus on providing information about how students can make the most out of interview opportunities and, as importantly, avoid its pifalls.

In a new Q&A feature, Paul Freyer of New York asks, "Do campus career centers [and college career fairs] really help students find jobs?" As the advice columnist Diane Hess puts it, "Many career centers can be a treasure trove. But as with college itself, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it."

We couldn't agree more, and we've planned a series of strong, practical advice pieces by knowledgable contributors to run in our upcoming Second Semester issue on the related topics of how to get the most out of (unfortunately underutilized) campus career centers and on-campus opportunities, as well as how to prepare for an interview, on-campus or off-campus.

Meanwhile, we refer you to a few advance features posted on BCO, such as a new addition by College Journal's Shawn Graham on How to Walk a Recruiter Through Your Resume and Mike Wilson's feature from our current edition, What Recruiters Look for in On-Campus Interviews.

We'll be adding more throughout the late winter and spring, so be sure to stop back frequently.

PWC Diversity Leadership Scholarship, Internship, Conference Deadline Dec. 31

Financial services giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers has announced a December 31, 2006 deadline for applications to its annual PWC eXceed scholarships, a comprehensive program offering opportunities for Native American, African American, and Hispanic American college students to explore careers at PWC through internships and participation in an annual Diversity Business Leadership Conference, along with a $3,000 support stipend. Applications are accepted from Freshmen or Sophomores with a 3.2 or higher GPA, and an interest in Accounting, Management Information Systems, and/or Computer Science.

Also of Interest: It's that season for students to apply for next year's internships. Most deadlines are coming up by early December. Visit IMDiversity's seasonal Internships & Co-ops special page with categorized internships listings.

New Analysis Shows Black Youth Voting Picking Up

A new Lake-Goeas Poll analysis, published in PDF format at Civicyouth.org, shows that youth voter turnout increased in 2006 for the second election in row, with turnout by young African Americans increasing. (Direct URL for PDF: http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/PR_06.pdf.)

Broken down, the analysis data suggest that young African Americans provided "Key Democratic support" in the November election, which shifted the balance of power in Congress to the Democrats' favor. In other findings, young African Americans were 12 and 19 points more likely to say they were “almost certain” to vote than either young whites or young Hispanics, respectively.

Analysis of preliminary exit poll and survey figures also suggest that "Thirteen percent of young voters (ages 18-29) self-identified as Black, compared to 10% of the overall voting population.

The analyses were published by CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, with Young Voter Strategies, a project of the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The release uses estimated figures, based on analysis of early November exit polling data, and adjustments are expected to be made on an ongoing basis at least throughout the year. Nonetheless, the general trend indicating a continued increase in young voter particpation is a positive sign that eligible youth voters, including college students, are strengthening their collective political clout.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN will continue to follow and report on developments as new information is released.

Updates: 2006-2007 Career and Networking Events Listing

Newly posted on THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Select events nationwide of interest to African-American students and young professionals, including career fairs, professional organization conferences, more.

Coming up soon:

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) has announced that it will hold its Region 1,2, and 3 Conference on the theme “Global Problem - Local Solutions” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 30 - December 3, 2006.


The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has announced that it will hold the NAACP Annual Leadership 500 Summit in Destin, Florida, December 7 – 10, 2006.

Affirmative Action Ban Passes in Michigan

University of Michigan vows to seek legal remedies; drop in Black, Latino and Native American enrollment expected to follow.

Report by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, IMDiversity Asian American Village Acting Editor, in Ann Arbor.

CNN Projects Win for Deval Patrick for MA Governor

Shortly before 9 PM Eastern, CNN projected that Deval Patrick had defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey in the race to replace Gov. Mitt Romney. If the results are verified, it will make Mr. Patrick Massachusett's first African American governor.

Video: Anti-Affirmative Action leader takes it where he can get it - even the Klan

Ward Connerly, the so-called “racial privacy” movement guru who successfully led the Proposition 209 effort in California, has now publicly announced, accepted, embraced the Ku Klan Klan’s support for the measure.

Even this: “God bless them,” said Connerly of these kindred spirits, in a controversial video broadcast circulating on YouTube.com.

At issue is a proposal on Michigan's ballot that would ban affirmative action in both university admissions decisions and the awarding of state business contracts.

As reported by the Associated Press, Connerly defended his remark after the controversial video began circulating widely, saying he accepts support for banning affirmative action "wherever he finds it".

Connerly, a one-time Regent of the University of California, was a main leader of the Prop 209 effort, which barred California public universities and other institutions from considering race or gender in admissions and hiring. According to the AP, the ballot initiative is blamed for plummeting numbers of Black, Hispanic and Native American students in the year following its passage.

If You Are Hassled During Election Day...

Voters can reach the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other cooperating civil rights organizations to report complaints prior to Election Day or on Election Day by contacting:

866-OUR-VOTE

For more information see www.naacpldf.org.

Series: The Role and Future of HBCUs in Changing Society

A compelling two-part series for Black College Wire by Danielle Kwateng, a student journalist at Howard University, takes a look at what's in store for America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

1) Views of HBCUs Change as Mainstream Accepts More Blacks
2) HBCUs Fight Perception of Inferiority

Both articles are posted in the new BCO News & Views section: http://www.black-collegian.com/news/index.shtml

Good News, Great News, a Caution on Election Day for Black Youth Voters

In the 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey by CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) at www.civicyouth.org, a comprehensive study of diverse American youth voters found that young African Americans are the most politically engaged among racial/ethnic group. Compared to other groups, African Americans are the most likely to vote regularly, belong to groups involved with politics, donate money to candidates and parties, display buttons or signs, canvass, and contact the media.

In a related analysis of voting patterns up through the 2004 elections, CIRCLE also showed that African American youth voters were the only group to have bucked the trend of declining turnout during midterm election years. Indicators for this year suggest that young Black voters' will continue to improve in 2006.

A separate study, by Young Voter Strategies, an organization affiliated with George Washington University, found that in the 2006 midterm season, young Black voters were the "most ready for change," according to a report by Black College Wire news service. In the study, 35 percent of Black voters ages 18 to 30 said that employment, the economy, and education and its costs weighed heavily for them.

However, the picture isn't entirely rosy. Both studies also found that many young African Americans have faced obstacles in exercising their right to vote, and many have little confidence that they can personally, meaningfully affect the problems facing their communtiies and families.

These conflicting issues -- increased political interest among young African Americans and a decreasing sense of their individual ability to affect change -- have made voter protection on polling day a high priority in the election season. Although the U.S. Justice Department announced that it would dispatch an unprecedented number of poll monitors across the country, other interested groups nationwide are mounting their own efforts. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is sending monitors to protect voters at areas surrounding HBCU schools, and placing an emphasis on protecting voters in the Gulf Region still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

For more stats and a link tothe full PDF report by CIRCLE, see the sidebars to interview with Senator Barack Obama in the first semester 2006 super issue of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN.

Google Tops List of 2006 Diversity Employers

As the war for top talent heats up, employers all across the world are acquiring new and revised managerial processes for developing a working environment that maximizes the potential of all employees by valuing diversity.

Diversity, including but not limited to age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, parental status and religious beliefs, is therefore very important when matching top talent with employers.

"As the workforce demographics shift, the competition to attract diverse candidates substantially increases for those companies wishing to remain competitive in the marketplace," said Camille Sautner, Diversity Employer Branding Specialist at Universum, global employer branding leader helping companies build employer brands to capture top talent.

Each year in the United States, Universum conducts a survey among undergraduate and MBA students with diverse backgrounds to determine what minority students are looking for in a future employer.

This year, in The Universum IDEAL Employer™ Survey – Diversity Edition, more than 12,800 students at 115 schools across the country ranked their top companies and their top industries and answered questions about career expectations and goals, IDEAL Employer™ characteristics, salary expectations and communication preferences.

The gold medal as IDEAL Employer™ for 2006 diversity MBA and Undergraduate students goes to Google, followed by Walt Disney, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey.

Google, thanks to its innovative, progressive, young and anticonservative culture is this year's new powerhouse all across the world; Goldman Sachs and McKinsey have always been the top players in the investment banking and management consulting industries; and Walt Disney, which prior to 2005 has always ranked highly on Universum's list - has regained a leading position thanks to its massive recruiting efforts and its strong consumer brand.

The detailed report for 2006 appears in the October 2006 First Semester edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine, by IMDiversity Inc.

More on Building Global Skills through Internships and Study Abroad

Our recent features on global skills-building and the increasing demand for employees with international work and study abroad experience arose from conversations we had with multiple companies and government agencies during the summer's conference by the National Association of Colleges and Employers). As an exhibitor at the conference, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN had an opportunity to mill around among employers large and small from all sectors, as well as officers from scores of college career offices.

In discussing diversity recruitment strategies with various HR folks, a recurring topic was the pressing need for and difficulty of finding new hires with foreign language and cultural fluencies. The need seemed to cut across all sectors, but was especially prevalent in post-9/11 government work -- and not only in the obvious departments like State and areas like intelligence. Our foreign entanglements have created such a demand that we met recruiters who reported the existence of several thousand dollar sign-up bonuses for kids coming right out of college, given the right attributes and skills (say, U.S. citizens with decent grades, an IT or engineering background, experience living abroad, and language and cultural fluencies needed to navigate working conditions in certain "hotspots" of the world). Government recruiters know that such candidates are in short supply, and must compete for them against large private sector companies offering appealing compensation and benefits.

Simultaneously, we were mulling over research by the Institute of International Exchange and other organizations showing that certain profiles of students -- especially males, and especially African American males -- were significantly under-represented in college study abroad and international internship programs.

We set out to explore the degree to which students lacking global skills-building opportunities would be at a disadvantage entering the workforce. We further wanted to examine the varied forms of support for students interested in building skills and working abroad: from undergraduate study abroad or internship programs to off-campus foundations promoting co-op exchanges, from graduate degree opportunities designed to position people for careers in foreign affairs to corporate rotational programs that cycle employees through foreign offices as part of leadership/management development.

Along the way, we also invited a number of successful alumni of such programs to share their stories and observations about how to find and maximize global skills-building experiences. Those former interns have gone on to become a foreign relations expert from the State Department, a network analyst working in the banking industry, an anthropology major committed to promoting knowledge of African American history, and even a "rocket scientist" -- a radiation engineering specialist at NASA.

In compiling the edition, the editors noted that other, unrelated articles and interviews with major employers also referenced and stressed the increasing importance of global skills and language skills as entry-level employment criteria. It crops up in Mike Wilson's survey of 7 major employers, "Insider Information: What Recruiters Look for in On-Campus Interviews," and again in the special report, "Top 100 Diversity Employers," which surveys both students and major employers.

In this way, the editors were interested to find ourselves with an "accidental theme edition". It seems that the relative lack of global skills among American students is on many people's minds right now. Fortunately, there's also a growing collective effort among colleges, private employers, students, nonprofits and (in some cases, government) to specifically forge opportunities for young Americans to "get global". We expect this to be a continuing trend, and to the benefit of everyone involved. We also expect to continue to publish feature and reference content focused on international work topics, both for "outward-bound" U.S. students and for our readers abroad.

[Image here is a detail of our First Semester 2006 cover, designed by the fantastic articst Tony O Champagne.]

Steal this Article! Barack Obama on Black Student Political Power

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN has published a feature interview with U.S. Senator Barack Obama, and made available for free download and reprint, with illustrations, for Web or paper publication.

The complete feature comprises an original interview with Senator Obama, discussing political participation by African-American college students and youth voters generally, as well as companion charts prepared by the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, CIRCLE: The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Among the topics, the Senator discusses strategies of student bloc-voting in areas surrounding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), charges that the Democratic Party takes African American voters for granted, and advice for young people wishing to become active in the political realm.

The article is part of a nonpartisan GOTV effort promoted by TBC in collaboration with Black College Wire, a nonprofit journalism education organization and free newswire source for HBCU publications and other media. The interview was conducted jointly by Alexia Robinson of Black College Wire, and Stewart Ikeda of TBC and IMDiversity, Inc. The feature will also be seen in the paper edition of The Black Collegian, which is distributed to students for free on college campuses nationwide, primarily through career and student services offices.

For information on voting and registration, we recommend GoVote.org.

New Issue of TBC Headed to Campus - Oct.

After some time off to prepare the new edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine, the editors have turned to focusing again on the blog and Blackcollegian.com, and we'll be posting our reflections on what's new and of interest in the upcoming issue.

Starting with the highlights, the First Semester Super Issue features a few of the seasonal, big special focus sections that our long-time readers have come to expect. We'll break these down later on the blog, but for now we've posted a few of the pieces in a sneak preview edition on THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online, and can list some of specific interest here:

* Top 100 Diversity Employers 2006: In what's become an annual tradition, we've once again collaborated with the international research firm, Universum Communications, to produce a comprehensive survey and report identifying and ranking top employers across dozens of industries with a focus on diversity in the workplace and in management, and the desires and expectations of diverse student jobseekers -- both graduates and undergraduates. The section also features in-depth profiles of some of the highest ranking organizations, as well as a number of illuminating analyses of what different survey groups say they most seek and value from diversity-committed employers.

* Feature Interview with U.S. Senator Barack Obama on Black Student Political Power: In light of both several incidences of voter suppression at HBCUs and elsewhere, and a marked increased in Black student voter activity, we spoke with the Illinois senator to get his thoughts on how to raise Black student political clout. With a view to encouraging all citizens to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 7, we forged another fruitful collaboration with our friends at the Black College Wire to produce the feature, along with additional detailed illustrations of Black and other youth group voting trends and obstacles, and have released for it free reprint by other media online and offline.

* Hurricane Katrina: One Year After: TBC has published the third of our special collaborative projects with Black College Wire (www.blackcollegewire.org) focusing HBCU student journalists' perspectives of the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. In the "One Year After" section, student journalists, including returning contributors Shawn Chollette and Rebecca Roussell, examine the ongoing efforts to start over at New Orleans' HBCUs and in the city, as well as track a number of recent graduates from Dillard, Xavier, and SUNO to see how the Class of 2006 is faring now. Once again, the feature is freely available for reprinting by other media.

* Global Skills-Building, International Work and Study Abroad: During our summer 35th anniversary commemorations culminating in a special celebration in Anaheim at the National Association of Colleges and Employers convention, the editors determined to begin an earnest exploration of the role of the global workplace and how global skills-building stands to effect to competitiveness of young African-American jobseekers in the future. Throughout the edition, readers will find that the significance of international experience among students is a recurring theme that runs through feature articles, personal essays, and advice from employers alike. This echoes the reality on the ground that we observed speaking with scores of major employers in Anaheim: that fostering "diversity" in the workforce increasingly includes a diversity of languages, foreign perspectives, and experience navigating cultural landscapes outside the U.S. and the English-speaking world. yet, African-American students -- especially males, and especially those in certain technical sectors -- are among the least likely to take on international experiences as students, or to equip themselves with global skills that will give them an edge in entering the workforce.

More later. -- The TBC Crew

Student Activism Series - Activism vs. Advocacy

Following up on the previous posts: The first installment of Alexia Robinson's series has been posted to in our newly reorganized Black Collegian News & Views section.

Providing an introduction to the series theme, the article "Activism vs. Advocacy" starts things off on personal note, with Alexia's exploration of the difference between the two terms.

She begins: "As this nation witnesses the benchmark anniversaries of the Civil Rights Movement, I can’t help but compare myself and my generation to those people from the 60’s who marched for freedom and justice for all. Does my generation have the courage to sit-in and boycott?"

In confessing that she has never felt herself to be "an activist," she reflects feelings expressed by many contemporary students, for whom studying the almost mythical actions and figures of the Movement (in capitals) may be inspirational, but not always seem immediately, apparently relevant to their own concerns and passions today. She argues that today's students may be equally committed to important social and political issues, but enjoy the benefits of much more complex and advanced media and technological landscape in which to pursue their goals.

Alexia uses as a launchpad one of her own political engagements -- her participation in the Campus Allies program of AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. While acknowledging that her role advocating support for Israel in U.S. foreign affairs may seem surprising from a certain stereotypical perspective, she finds that the goals of promoting peace and stability in the Middle East are consistent with both the legacy of Dr. King and the Christian faith that have been so important in her life. She observes, however, that AIPAC has provided her with opportunities for international travel and learning, for engaging with policymakers, and for informing her work in journalism that would not have been readily available to "old school" student activists.

Ultimately, she suggests, too few organizations and movements are willing to take "a chance...on young people" and "bank on [their] potential." By providing access to information, political organizations like AIPAC go a long way toward inviting students' interest, commitment and active participation. Knowledge and first-hand experience can be a powerful motivators for today's Black collegians to "get involved," and the rest of Alexia's series will go on to examine other examples of people who are doing just that.