Martin Minority Report

By: Martina Conley

Minority Affairs Monthly Newsletter

A Ne w Fa c e Ar ou n d T h e O f f ice

Volume 1, Issue 1

he purpose of The Office of Minority Affairs is to provide support to the minority students at UT Martin. The office strives to support students in their quest for education and provide programs that will allow all of the minority students to interact with one another. Minority Affairs seeks to reach out to ALL minorities on campus not just African Americans. The Director of Minority Affairs position was vacant for several years on our campus, until last fall, when Dr. Annie Carol Jones, filled the position. Dr. Jones is a west Tennessee native reigning from Brownsville, TN; however, she spent a number of years in Wisconsin where she held several positions within Higher Education. Dr. Jones received her B.A. in Political Science, a M.A. in Counseling Education, and Ed.D in

C ivil R i g ht Con f e r e n ce

Higher Education Administration and Leadership. She has held a variety of different positions including, Coordinator of Academic Support Services, Student Services Counselor, Project Manager, and Director of Student Success Center. Dr. Jones education and experience make her more than qualified to be the Director of Minority Affairs and we are delighted to have her on our campus. he UT Martin campus enrolls students from all over the world, including China, Japan, Korea, Turkey, and Spain; which means we have a variety of different cultures represented on campus. As stated on the website, The Office of Minority Affairs is committed to serving the UTM community as a multicultural resource. I see Minority Affairs becoming the heart beat for minority students on this campus, said Jones

Dr. Annie Carol Jones, Director of Minority Affairs

during our interview. She wants The Office of Minority Affairs to become visible on campus so that students will seek out their services. Dr. Jones has a strong passion to help multicultural students and students in general achieve academic, career, and personal success.

By: Jonathon Crawley

r. David Barber, Coordinator of the Civil Rights Conference and Associate Professor of History, explained that the history department is one of the main sponsors of UT Martins annual Civil Rights Conference and tells what the students at UT Martin should expect this month. This year the conference theme is Aint Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: Civil Rights Yesterday and Today. The keynote speaker for this year is going to be Bernice Johnson

Reagon. She was a young woman in Albany, Georgia at the turn of the fifties and beginning of the sixties, said Barber. Albany was a critical location in the civil rights movement. Bernice Johnson was the daughter of a preacher and sang in her fathers choir at church. So, as much as anyone, she brought music into the civil rights struggle in Georgia and she became one of the founders of a group known as the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee Freedom Singers, said Barber. According to Dr. Barber, Dr. Reagon

founded an allwomens singing group in the seventies, called Sweet Honey and The Rock, who Dr. Bernice oriented Johnson Reagon their songs towards different elements of African- Americans struggle for freedom. Now, Dr. Reagon sings with the Freedom (cont. on page 3)
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A Celebration of Desegregation

By: Diamond Adams

Outstanding Student: Constance Bonds

By: Martina Conley

he University of Tennessee at Martin is sponsoring a yearlong celebration honoring the first African-American undergraduate students to attend the university. In the summer of 1961, the first African-American student enrolled at UT Martin and opened the doors for others by gaining admittance and beginning classes. This yearlong celebration will feature special events, speakers and other programs for members of the campus and surrounding communities to honor all students and other individuals involved in the desegregation of the university. The university will recognize the many accomplishments of African-American students during the past 50 years by honoring their triumphs and struggles. As part of the observance, the university looks forward to the future achievements of enrolled AfricanAmerican students and the com-

munity. Dr. Annie C. Jones has been selected to chair a committee of faculty, staff, students and community members to plan major events. In the planning, Dr. Jones and Kassi Abney conducted interviews with the first African American student who enrolled in the summer of 1961 as well as the first African American administrator on the UTM campus. Dr. Jones stated that, The full committee has met, and Dr. Rakes presented the committee with their charge. The committee is energized and excited about moving forward. r. Jones desire to have African American students and all students to participate in opportunities available on campus extends far beyond measure. She urges students to get involved in their college life by: taking advantage of internships, workshops, speakers,

leadership conferences and classes, community service, study abroad programs and any other avenues that are available. Action of this

nature will increase their retention, educational achievements and foster a rich academic experience at UTM. Dr. Jones believes that all of the committee members are well equipped to plan and organize events that will reflect the significance of the 50th anniversary of undergraduate desegregation on the University of Tennessee Martin Campus.

ach month we want to recognize one outstanding minority student at The University of Constance Bonds Tennessee at Martin. This month we have chosen Constance Bonds, the President of the Black Student Association as our outstanding student. She

is from Brownsville, TN and is currently a sophomore majoring in Biology (Cell and Molecular) with a cumulative GPA of 3.57. Because of her distinguished grades and persistence to succeed, Constance has made the Deans List every semester since she has been enrolled at UT Martin. Not only is Constance an outstanding student in the classroom, she is also a vital participant in campus organizations and the community. As stated before, she is an active member of the Black Student Association, along with

Rotaract Club. As a part of these organizations, Constance has participated in a great deal of community service projects, such as raising money for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, providing Thanksgiving dinner to two needy families within the community, and delivering toys, clothing, and other necessities to a local family. Before I graduate, I hope to have made a difference in someones life and leave a lasting positive impression on the students here at UT Martin, Bonds stated. In addition to (cont. on page 3)
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Outstanding Student (continued)

her academic success and community involvement, last semester, Constance was selected to be UTMs Student Representative on the Search Advisory Council to find the current President of the UT System, Dr. Joe DiPietro. She stated in our interview, This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I was honored to have been part of the process. As the youngest council member, this was a distinct honor for Bonds and she truly enjoyed the experience. Like many UT Martin students, Constance is dedicated to her schoolwork and aspires to be a successful in the work force. Once she graduates, Constance hopes to attend the UT Health Science Center and major in dentistry. Her academic excellence and campus involvement make her more than worthy of receiving praise and recognition. Thank you Constance for all that you do and please keep up the good work.

Calendar of Events
MARCH
March 8, 2011 BSA History Celebration (Yesterday/Today) Speaker Dr. Jesse Cannon

APRIL
April 11 15, 2011 Kappa Alpha Psi 40 Anniversary Celebration

MAY
May 13, 2011 - Multicultural Achievement Celebration (Tentative)

Civil Rights Conference (continued)

Singers, who take a spiritual and gospel edge on many of the civil rights September 15, 2011 Grand Gala issues that are still prevalent. Unfortunately, I dont think that many of us in our daily life get to OCTOBER meet someone whos done something really extraordinary. Dr. Regan October 8, 2011 Homecoming has done some really extraordinary things with her life. What I hope (Minority Alumni Social) our students will take from her is the truth that we, can do something extraordinary if we work for it. I dont know if most young people in our society today believe that they can make a difference. It seems that most of our young people have been convinced that nothing that they can do can make a difference. To me, thats tremendously sad, said Barber. Thats what they can get from our speaker. Had it not been for that struggle, I would still be living a delusion.

SEPTEMBER

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