by Mikal J. Harris

DE Campus Life Editor

Below and to the right of the African-American Uncle Sam statue swathed in red, black and green attire, Black Affairs Council Coordinator Tiffany Thomas sits at her desk during a rare break between numerous phone calls and office visits.

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The desk is cluttered, but not messy a sign it just happens to belong to an organized person with a lot of work to do. Two pictures displayed prominently near the desk’s BAC Coordinator nameplate are signs with their own stories to tell.

The picture on the left is of Thomas’ mother, an attractive, smiling woman who could pass for Thomas’ older sister. The picture on the right shows a young boy with shining eyes.

That picture is of Thomas’ nephew. His blue obituary hangs on a nearby board among a litany of BAC fliers and other assorted mementos.

Thomas smiles when asked about her nephew, a handsome boy who died of asthma-related complications late last semester. Thomas received news of the tragedy early on a Sunday morning and was devastated by the loss.

It was bad because I’d never lost anyone before, she said. But I know it’s OK because I know he’s an angel up in heaven. He’s all right.

She was able to take some time away from her job and her classes to be with her family during the emergency, and that painful period represents the only time during the school year that Thomas has had a break from her responsibilities.

But in spite of the hours she puts into her demanding job, Thomas, a senior in marketing from Rockford, loves being the BAC coordinator. The post is one that she has dreamt of having ever since she attended a BAC social event during her freshman year.

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Thomas became BAC’s assistant to the public relations chairwoman her sophomore year, and junior year she became chairwomen of campus and community concerns. She began her term as BAC coordinator in August, and the progression was a natural one for her.

She said she was not daunted by the challenge of running the official unifying agent of more than 30 African-American organizations on a primarily white campus.

This is going to sound cocky, but I really didn’t feel overwhelmed, she said. I had a lot of support. I just wanted to go ahead and do it because I knew it would be something I’d be good at.

Thomas was certain of her ability to handle her position because she became heavily involved in BAC for two important reasons. One reason was her admiration of the Black Affairs Leadership Conference, the BAC’s biggest event. The conference traditionally attracts hundreds of students to SIUC for a mind-opening series of presentations and workshops.

The other reason why Thomas became so involved with BAC stems from the main purpose of the organization on the SIUC campus.

I love BAC, its traditions and what it means, she said. I thought BAC was the forefront organization to voice black students’ issues. That is very important to me.

This month, Thomas is leading the charge to address some of those issues. In addition to organizing a host of BAC-sponsored events in honor of Black History Month, Thomas and BAC are in the first stages of planning a University-supported task force to survey the concerns of SIUC’s African-American students, faculty and staff. Thomas hopes to have the task force information compiled and ready to present to SIUC’s new chancellor in the fall.

Several issues are to be addressed via the task force, including a thorough investigation of financial aid opportunities for African-American students, strengthening African-American student recruitment and retention efforts, the lack of opportunities for African-Americans to socialize in Carbondale and the availability of clerical campus jobs for African-American students.

Thomas said those concerns and others have consistently been brought to the BAC office by African-American students, faculty and staff.

That says a lot about BAC, she said. Students feel comfortable about coming up to the BAC office and telling me these things.

Another issue Thomas wants to investigate involves the University’s support of its African-American faculty and Black American Studies Department. BAS and other African-American faculty members work with BAC on a number of concerns and events each school year, and Thomas believes African-American students crave the support these individuals are able to offer.

No one can teach you better than someone who knows your story, she said, and the BAS Department needs to be given more resources. They should be treated the same as any other academic department at this University.

Seymour Bryson, an executive assistant with SIUC’s Affirmative Action Office, is one of the African-American professionals on campus Thomas interacts with on a regular basis. He remembers when Thomas first came to campus in 1994.

Bryson said Thomas, whose term expires in August, has done an excellent job as BAC coordinator. He believes in her ability to accomplish such goals as those BAC outlined in its African-American task force.

She’s really sincere in her effort to make the community more responsive to the needs of African-Americans, and she has the ability to work with people and do the right things, he said. She’s a person with a vision.