UUPPDADATTEE SEPTEMBER ISSUE THE NEWSLETTER OF TH E CORNELL BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION F A L L 2 0 1 2

Dear Cornell Black Alumni Association Members and Friends, Sharing the vision of our education The CBAA board is so pleased with the enthusiasm that we have seen from our alumni since our fabulous reunion in June. Kudos to Chimene Liburd, Angela Celestin, Joanne Hill and our class EXECUTIVE BOARD clerks for a job well done. We would also like to thank the outgoing board for their hard work. President Now we need to keep the enthusiasm going. The board is committed to continuing to offer events Anika Daniels-Osaze, Arts '96 [email protected] of that caliber. We look forward to seeing you at our future events.

Treasurer Darien Ward, ILR ‘90 [email protected]

Secretary Zachary Murray, AAP '12 [email protected]

VP Membership Carol McIntosh, Arts'83/ Weill '87 [email protected]

VP Programming Jade Dean, Hotel'08 [email protected]

VP Fundraising /Scholarship Ebony Ray, ILR'10 vpfundrais- CBAA REUNION 2012 [email protected] This newsletter is just one part of our effort to increase communication with our alumni and stu- VP Student Relations Cynthia Cuffie, HumEC'74 dents. Please visit our website (www.cbaa1976.com) for regular updates as well. If you would like [email protected] to contribute to the newsletter or help create it, join our communications committee. Please spread the word...Undergraduate and graduate alumni are welcome. We would love to have you!

CBAA’s Executive Board Join a Committee or volunteer to be a Regional Representative today!

Our six standing committees are:  Membership Committee  Programming Committee  Scholarship & Fundraising Committee  Campus & Student Relations Committee  Communications Committee  Secondary/Graduate Schools Committee

As a Regional Representative, you are an important resource for CBAA and a pivotal part of volunteer, social and cultural activities in your area. Each region needs assistance in planning 2-4 regional events per year. This is a great networking opportunity for our alumni!

For committee details and to sign up visit: http://www.cbaa1976.com/volunteer.html CBAA UPDATE 2 FALL 2012 CBAA PROGRAMMING CALENDAR 2012/2013 July - NJ/Philly/Delaware Cornell Alum, Friends, and Family Summer Potluck Picnic Unami Park, Garwood, NJ Saturday, July 21, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Contact Leon Smart '82 - [email protected] or Gale Jones '82 [email protected] August- MD/DC/VA Class of 2016 & New Student Sendoff August 5th, from 4-7pm@ Nixon's Farm, 2800 Nixon's Farms Lane, West Friendship, MD Directions: http://www.nixonsfarm.com/contact.htm Contact Randall Nixon '78 at [email protected] or Phone: 443-364-8380

September - NYC, Detroit Pre-Homecoming Mixer NYC - September 2, 2012 @ 2:00 p.m. Riverside Park; Contact Kassandra Frederique @ [email protected] for more details Detroit - September 20, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m. - Roast Restaurant, Westin Book Cadillac Hotel; September - Washington, DC General Body Meeting September 15, 2012 @ 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Hall of the States 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 367 Washington, DC 20001 Contact: Anika Daniels-Osaze - [email protected] for more details September - Ithaca (Homecoming) Mosaic Exchange: Alumni-Student Panel & Networking September 22, 2012 @ 9:00 a.m. Clark Hall, Room 701

Ujamaa 40th Anniversary Banquet September 22, 2012 @7:00 p.m. , Memorial Room September - Miami Black IVY Conference September 27-29, 2012 visit http://bialconference.org/about/ for more information October - Chicago Rising Ivy Breakfast - Cosponsored with Black Ivy Alumni League and Google October 10, 2012; Contact Akiza Boddie-Willis - [email protected] for more details October - Cornell Medical College Reunion/ CBAA mixer undergrad and grad alumni (NYC) October 20th, 2012– special guest speaker: Randall Nixon '78 contact Carol McIntosh at [email protected] CBAA UPDATE 3 FALL October - May - June - September (NY, Chicago, DC, San Francisco) Avon Walk for Breast Cancer http://www.avonwalk.org/ Fall - 2012 - NYC Date TBD Alvin Ailey Performance - Co-sponsorship with the Black Ivy Alumni Association January - All Regions 1st Week of January - Back to School Alumni/Student Mixer Location & Time for each region to be confirmed February - NYC Volunteer at St. Francis Xavier's Soup Kitchen - space is limited 55 West 15th Street, NY contact [email protected] for details April - All Regions Arts Programming Event-Information to be provided May - All Regions Cinco De Mayo Alumni Mixer May 5, 2012 -Information to be provided May 26, 2013 - Ithaca Cornell Commencement/ CBAA Graduation Reception and Senior Leadership Award Presentation June/ July -All Regions Professional Development Event-Information to be provided

We will continue to update the CBAA website as events are added. Our Regional Reps Chrissa McFarlane Atlanta [email protected] Rosalind Usher Atlanta [email protected] Joanne Hill Chicago [email protected] Akiza Boddie-Willis Chicago [email protected] Veta N. Martin Detroit [email protected] Lois Bennett Detroit [email protected] Deborah Arrindell Los Angeles [email protected] Hindatu Mohammed Bay Area/ San Francisco [email protected] Kassandra Frederique New York City [email protected] Nadia Ormsby New York City [email protected] Jason Morgan New York City [email protected] Tracy Appiah Ohio [email protected] Corinne Burton Southern NJ/Philadelphia [email protected] Colleen Clarke-Norman Southern NJ/Philadelphia [email protected] Chimene Liburd Washington DC [email protected] Dionne Benjamin Washington DC [email protected] Regina Little Washington DC [email protected] CBAA UPDATE 4 FALL 2012

Meet our new Faculty and Administrators

Gerard Aching, M.A. '90, Ph.D. Theoria Cason is the Residence Hall '91, professor of Spanish and Director for Ujamaa Residential Col- French literature and a member lege. Originally from North Carolina, of the graduate fields of African she attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a de- and African-American and gree in Psychology; with minors in Latin American studies, has Biology and Spanish. She then com- been appointed Director of the pleted her Masters degree in College Africana Studies and Research Student Personnel at Western Illinois Center. University.

OADI replaces COSEP/ OMEA The Committee on Special Educational Projects, or COSEP, was established by in 1965 with two primary goals: to increase the enrollment of African American students at Cornell and to provide support services which would facilitate both their adjustment to, and graduation from, Cor- nell. Later, the COSEP was expanded to include Latino, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian American students as well as those who would be first in their families to receive a bachelor's degree, and those from lower-income families. In 1976, COSEP was subsumed into the Office of Minority Educational Affairs A.T. Miller, (OMEA). In June 2011, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives (OADI) was formed as a unit that Associate Vice Provost of addresses diversity issues and support in the academic areas across the university. Today, COSEP remains Diversity Initiatives a committee of advisors, counselors, and administrators who support the special educational needs of its students. The Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives (OADI) pronounced "wadi", is an Arabic/Ki-Swahili word that refers to a cool protected passage route/valley through a desert, often formed by a seasonal river. OADI's Mission are two-fold: (1) to ensure that the widest range of life experience, knowledge, creative expression and original thinking is shared across the breadth of Cornell's students, fac- ulty, staff, and disciplines, particularly by those with backgrounds historically less likely to have been represented on campus and (2) to support the increased presence, academic success, intellectual achievement, and inclusion across all fields of study of those from these under-represented backgrounds at Cornell.

The Power of Donor/ Alumni Support: Ujamaa’s Computer Facility Upgrade

Ujamaa Residential College has long needed an update to its computer facility. Alumni and do- nors stepped up and answered the call. Due to a coordinated effort amongst Theoria Cason, Renee Alexander ’74 and Jennifer Kamara ‘05, Ujamites can once again get their work done in the comfort of their own home.

Fundraisers were held on campus and in New York City. Announcements reiterating the new for an upgraded facility were made at Reunion. The facility is now equipped with several new com- puters, printers and a scanner.

This upgrade is an example of the power that we have to improve our students’ experience and rejuvenate our institutions. Thank you to all off our donors for making this possible! The unveiling of the upgraded facility will take place during the 40th anniversary celebration of Ujamaa Residential College at Homecoming! A list of all donors along with photos of the upgraded facility will appear in our next newsletter! CBAA UPDATE 5 FALL Alumni Spotlights Our Alumni are succeeding in fields such as politics, sports, and acting. Let’s celebrate their accomplishments!

Svante Myrick, ‘09 was Makila Z. James ’79 was Hon. Debra James, elected Mayor of Ithaca and sworn in at the State Depart- Arts‘75 , JD’78 is running assumed office in January ment July 23 as United for New York State Su- 2012. A Communications States ambassador to Swazi- preme Court. She received major from the College of land, Africa’s last absolute the Mattie Belle Davis Agriculture and Life Sciences, monarchy. She majored in Award from the National Muhammad Halim '08 from the Myrick, 25 is the first African Africana studies and history Association of Women U.S. Virgin Islands ran the Men's Track & Field-Triple American and the youngest at Cornell. Judges. person to take on this role. Jump in this year’s Olympics held in London.

Adepero Oduye, ’97, a native, born to Nigerian Cornell Alumni are making moves in parents, was a pre-med junior at Cornell when her father sud- denly passed away. "It was a wake-up call," says Oduye. "I al- every field. If you know of an alum ready had doubts about that career path, and I was mostly doing it for my father. I thought: 'Life is too short. What else who should be in the “Spotlight” can I do?' Oduye took an acting class and fell in love with acting ever since. She has starred in movies such as “Pariah” email the and “Half Nelson”, has been in episodes of “Law and Order” details to and “Louie” and is preparing for her new role in the remake of Steel Magnolias with the likes of Phylicia Rashad, [email protected] and Queen Latifah. Student Spotlights: Leadership Award Recipients FALL 2011 Recipient SPRING 2011 Recipient The Cornell Black Alumni Association Student Leadership Award recognizes a current senior undergraduate student of African descent for his/her outstanding leadership and efforts to enhance the lives of students and the community-at- large while attending Cornell Univer- sity. The purpose of the award is to rec- ognize past accomplishments and encour- Ijeamaka Obodoagha Janet Nwaukoni age ongoing development of leadership  Foundation for International Medical  Quill and Dagger Senior President skills and social consciousness. Thank Relief of Children President & Treasurer  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. you to our selection committee for their  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.  Cornell Tradition Fellow hard work and congratulations to our  Lansing Residential Center Mentor  Mortar Board Senior Honor Society recipients!  Nigerian Students Association President  Biology Scholars Program Visit our website for application and due  4-H Cornell Cooperative Extension Men-  Baraka Kwa Wimbo Gospel Ensemble dates. tor/ Counselor CBAA UPDATE 6 FALL 2012 CBAA Event Highlights

http://www.visitithaca.com/ CBAA UPDATE 7 FALL 2012

The 1st Annual Black Ivy Alumni League Convention will be held in Miami, Florida from September 27th- 30th. Network with alumni from all our brother institutions.

The conference will focus on the 4 pillars of - Education, Leader- ship, Politics and En- trepreneurship.

Specially priced tickets are available to friends of CBAA. Use the code “CBAA” to save nearly $100 off your ticket.

Register here and join us in making history!

CBAA UPDATE 8 FALL 2012

GENERAL BODY MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

CBAA will hold a general body meeting on Saturday, September 15 from 9am- 1pm in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Participation model and to vote whether CBAA should formally adopt the Participation model or return to a Dues collecting organization.

Meeting Location: Hall of the States 130 East Seneca Street, Suite 400 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 367 Ithaca, NY 14850 Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 607-254-7150 To register for the meeting, please click here. Fax: 607-255-7533 For those of you who are unable to attend, you can view the meeting on the CBAA Email: [email protected] Website at http://www.cbaa1976.com/livestream.html.

Visit us on the Web at In order to vote online, please complete the following Contact Information Form to receive a special code. Once you submit this form a code will be emailed to you. The www.cbaa1976.com code must be used in order to submit your vote online on the day of the meeting.

To submit a proxy, as per Section VI, par.4 of the CBAA By-laws: We’re also on... “Each member shall be entitled to vote on each resolution being considered at a gen- eral membership meeting. In an election of officers, each member shall be entitled to cast one vote for each office. A vote may be cast in person, by proxy, or by U.S. mail. A proxy must be in writing, signed and dated by the absent voting member, and must

indicate the designee who shall execute the proxy.”

Complete the following Proxy Form and mail by Wednesday, September 12, 2012 to:

Click here to be added to our Cornell Black Alumni Association CBAA database today! c/o Christina Ulrich 130 E Seneca St

Ithaca, NY 14850

Our students need your support. The Agenda is as follows: Please donate to one of CBAA’s 9:00am- 9:05am Greetings and Introductions scholarships today! 9:05am-9:15am Africana Update Click on one of the scholarships below, 9:15am-9:45am Officer Reports 9:45am-11:45am Dues vs. Participation Model Discussion and Vote select “other” in the designation drop 11:45am Meeting adjournment down box and type the name of the 11:45am-1pm Lunch and Mingling/ Membership drive scholarship you would like to donate to: Please review the following documents before the meeting: James and Janice Turner Endowment  Participation Model Document from Alumni Affairs  CBAA 2012 Membership Dues Subcommittee proposal John Henrik Clarke Scholarship  Alumni Affairs Response to Subcommittee proposal questions/ CBAA Tradition Scholarship Mosaic Participation Model Document  By-Laws All of these documents can be found on the live-stream page of the CBAA website.