[bfsa] We Need Your Help!

[Tanzeah S. Sharpe]

We Need Your Help! 
In a joint venture, Tanzeah Sharpe, Multicultural Student Services Coordinator for the Center for Student Progress, and Gwenn Clark, Program Coordinator for the Office of Professional Practice, are planning to continue our Career Collegians Program for Students of Color. 

In the past, the Program has consisted of 8 to 10 workshops/seminars during the Spring semester. The sessions (with a FREE lunch) were typically during the noon hour lasting from one hour to 90 minutes.  They included: career planning, resume writing, interviewing skills, time and stress management, goal setting, diversity, business etiquette and a guest speaker from the business community. 

Primarily, invitations were sent to all/most students of color, i.e. approximately 800-900 students. The initial responses were good: from 32 to 45 respondents selecting three to nine workshops each. However, even with mail, email and telephone reminders, attendance was very poor.  Typically, the workshops had 15 to 30 students registered, but 3 to 8 would attend. 

We believe that whereas the workshop topics are important, most are offered through Career Services, the Center for Student Progress, and the Office of Professional Practice throughout the year.  There is little need to separate these topics for students of color, especially when the attendance indicates little interest. 

We believe that our time, energy and budgets could be better spent in more targeted activities, such as: panel discussions with hot current topics, a speaker to examine why students of color still self-segregate, a networking event, and/or other activities which will spark some inquiry and participation in resolving issues that people of color still face in the 21st century. 

We are asking for your ideas and/or assistance in delivering workshops, panels, events, etc. As usual, we would like your input AS SOON AS POSSIBLE because we would like to offer one or two activities within the next six weeks. 

Although we know that this seems like it is a last minute project, we also know that if you put this email aside now, you may not get to it until a few weeks from now. So please … email us back today to give us your input and, perhaps, volunteer for an activity to get our students of color involved in dialogue to resolve issues that they face – and, to help prepare them for a good career of their choice. 

We need your ideas today!  We would like to start implementing them now. (However, we can always forward some activities that need longer planning time to the summer and fall semesters.) 

If you would prefer to talk with us instead of emailing, please feel free to contact Tanzeah at (330) 941-1441 and/or Gwenn at (330) 941-1405. 

We'd love to hear from you today! 

Tanzeah Sharpe 
tssharpe at ysu.edu 

Gwenn Clark 
gvclark at ysu.edu 

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