a976: Haitian Student Conference (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

(Massachusetts Daily Collegian, 27 Feb 02)

      By Rahwa Asmerom

AMHERST -- Three vans loaded with University of Massachusetts students made
their way to Washington, D.C., to take part in the fifth annual Haitian
Student Conference at Georgetown University on Feb. 22. The three-day event
is a yearly gathering of students aimed at exploring and discussing Haitian
culture, politics and society which started in New York five years ago
initially catering only to students of that area but has now grown to
include students from all over the country including MIT, University of
Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University. The conference's theme for this year
was "Haiti Kounya, Haiti Now."
   The trip was organized by the Haitian American Student Association,
(HASA), and sponsored by Black Mass Communication Project (BMCP), and the
Black Student Union, (BSU). UMass students arrived late Friday night and
were greeted by organizers there and paired up with their respective
Georgetown student hosts.
   The conference kicked off Saturday with a welcome/opening session where
the event coordinators outlined the weekend's activities. The mission
statement of the conference, said organizers, read that "the gathering
hopes to create a community of students sympathetic to Haitian causes and
incite participants into taking an active role on the shaping of Haiti's
future."
   Chief economist and top executive of SogeBank (Haiti's number one
commercial bank) Pierre-Marie Boisson made the first presentation on the
evolution of the Haitian economy over the last five years. He gave some
history on the country's economic structure and shared some tentative plans
for its future.
   "What Haiti needs to do is increase exports drastically in order to
catch up to the rest of the world," Boisson said. "It is a very small
country and large exports are crucial."
   Students then split up into different workshops and discussions that met
on different issues ranging from the language and culture to diplomacy and
politics.
   "I liked all the seminars I went to but I especially enjoyed the Kreyol
language workshop that I attended," said sophomore BDIC major Scune
Thelemaque. "I learned a lot from those sessions."
   After a day of conferences, students then went back to the rooms to
prepare for the nights activities, which included a formal banquet at the
Haitian Embassy. The participants were shuttled to the dinner where the
keynote speakers including high-ranking government officials and students
had an opportunity to talk with numerous diplomats. The participants then
returned to the Georgetown campus to attend a party held especially for the
conference participants.
   Sunday's activity was a wrap-up discussion where the students discussed
and debated the future of the conference. Organizers stressed the need to
keep the conference going and the importance of such a forum for students.
   Schools that wished to host it next year were then invited to make
presentations so organizers could decide where to have it. Contending
schools that were hoping to host it were UMass and New Jersey's Kean
University. Pitching for UMass, HASA president Erline Achille addressed the
students saying, "We have the resources and the determination. UMass's
attendance level at these conferences has been very high and with a campus
population of 20,000 plus students, hosting the conference will not be very
hard for us."
   UMass ultimately won the bid and will be hosting the conference next
year.
   Reflecting on the trip overall, Thelemaque added, "I really liked the
fact that there was a large diversity of people that went from UMass. It
was a lot of bonding and positive energy. I am very glad that we well be
hosting it next year."
   "It was a great opportunity meet and embrace our Haitian culture through
the representation of distinguished and accomplished individuals," Marvin
Alcide, a junior Communications and Psychology major, commented.