The conference, titled Defining our Presence in the 21st Century, is scheduled for Oct. 23 through Oct. 26.

Clark, the coordinator for the conference, said she is looking forward to a change in the attendance pattern of SIUC students.

It’s discouraging to see students from other universities will support an event such as our leadership conference, and our own students don’t take the time to attend a leadership conference held for them on their own campus, Clark said. I hope to see a different outcome for this year’s conference.

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As a way to combat the low attendance of SIUC students, the conference committee added new things to the conference’s schedule.

For the duration of the conference, there are workshops, presentations, a keynote address and luncheon, a dinner banquet and a farewell address.

I want students to attend the conference in the frame of mind that leadership is important in the whole concept of defining our presence in the new millennium, Clark said. I hope that during the course of the conference, students will begin to view themselves as future leaders.

To help promote the positive agenda of the event and as an incentive for students to attend the conference committee implemented an essay contest.

The contest includes two essays:What must be done to define our presence in the 21st century? and the second essay, which is solely for SIUC students, What must be done to define our presence in a predominantly white institution such as SIUC?

The prize for the first essay is $150, and the second essay’s prize is $50.

Tonya Williams, the co-coordinator for the conference, said the leadership offers appeal on an extended scale.

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This national event is a tremendous opportunity for students to hear national speakers as well as meet and mingle with students from across the country, Williams said.

Some of the national speakers scheduled to appear throughout the conference are Michael E. Dyson, author of From God to Gangster Rap and Race Rules; Osagyfo Sekou, Baptist minister, author and activist; and Kevin Powell, author, editor and star of MTV’s first series of the Real World.

Clark said a large turnout of SIUC students will generate an explicit signal to visiting participants.

It’s an opportunity for our visiting conference participants to see the activeness and support from our students here on campus, she said.

And while the support from SIUC students has been minimal in the past, some students like Tenisha Anderson, a junior in marketing and pre-law from Peoria, opted to show their devotion since this year’s conference inception.

Doing her part as the director of public relations for the conference, Anderson passed out fliers and mailed registration forms to churches and different universities.

I heard how good it was, and I wanted to be a part of that this year, Anderson said. The conference will end up being a success with the staff we have on hand. And when the conference gets here we’ll see just how smooth it will run.

Registration forms are available in BAC Office

Registration continues until 0ct. 3

Prices before Oct. 3:$15 for SIUC students and $40 for SIUC faculty-staff

Prices after Oct. 3:$25 for SIUC students and $50 for SIUC faulty-staff

Deadline for essay contest entries is Oct. 10

Volunteers wanting help with conference preparations should contact Juari Clark at 453-2534