Race relations summits coincide

While 60 student leaders head to the Sugarloaf Executive Conference Complex this weekend for the Penn Student Summit on Race Relations, another conference dealing with "relations between races" will be held simultaneously in Houston Hall. Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latinos Americanos President Lisette Monge, who is planning and organizing the campus summit, said last night her conference was planned in September, far before plans for the Sugarloaf Summit were announced. Monge would have represented both ACELA and the Social Planning and Events Committee, of which she is also president, at the summit, which is being held at the Temple University owned compound in Chestnut Hill, a suburban section of northwest Philadelphia. According to Monge, 50 members of the National Multicultural Students Association, a newly-formed group made up of cultural organizations from 25 East Coast schools, will spend Friday and Saturday on campus, holding workshops, speeches and discussions. Monge said Asian-American, Latin-American and African-American groups from various campuses, including Cornell University and Harvard University, make up the NMSA. "It was sad that there was a conflict," Monge said. "It would have been great if I could have gone and if they weren't the same date." Wharton senior Lawrence Berger, co-organizer of the Sugarloaf summit, said the date for his conference cannot be changed. "I don't really see it as a conflict," he added. About 40 ACELA members will join 50 other students at this weekend's campus conference. ACELA has also invited other groups from the United Minorities Council to attend the conference. "I think the basic goal is to recognize the obstacles that are facing minority groups and their similarities," said Nursing senior Kim Rosado,who is vice president of ACELA. "Together we can foster an environment where we can support each other instead of tackling problems on our own," she said. Monge said she hopes her conference will affect race relations. "We're trying to get the groups in action and that, in turn, will affect race relations," Monge said. The on-campus location of the conference will not affect its success, she added. "I don't think there is going to be a problem with distractions because it's on campus," she said. "Plus, it's easier when one group is hosting an on-campus convention." Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said, though, that the student leader summit is being held off-campus to separate the students from their usual surroundings and distractions. "The summit's purpose is to focus on Penn, and that issue may be harder to deal with when you're on campus," Moneta said. "The other conference is not Penn-specific, so you don't have that conflict," he added. The University is spending $24,000 on the Sugarloaf summit. More than half of this will be used to pay for lodging, Berger said. The NMSA conference is not costing the University any money because each attendee, with the exception of ACELA members and hosts, is paying a $20 registration fee, Monge said. "Houston Hall doesn't cost anything to rent," she added. Berger said that a fee for the Sugarloaf summit might have created problems for some student leaders. "I think a minimal fee would be a nice token, but what happens if a student leader couldn't afford it?" he said. "We want to focus on race relations, and we don't want that to be a barrier." Monge said there were similarities and differences between the two conferences. "Our goals are to help the different groups within the NMSA," she said. "The other summit is focusing on Penn in general and trying to educate the entire community. "[But] we're both holding workshops and we're both hoping to affect race relations," she added. Berger echoed Monge's sentiments, adding, "the more groups discussing [race relations] the better." Still, though, a representative from ACELA and one from SPEC will attend the Sugarloaf summit, Monge said.