BRIEF: Colors '94 kicks off tonight

Poussaint, the author of numerous books, including Why Blacks Kill Blacks, worked with civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson, before entering the academic sphere. His lecture is co-sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Chi fraternities, the Greenfield Intercultural Center, Connaissance, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education. COLORS Chairperson and College junior Matthew Sharron said the week's organizers looked for a keynote speaker "who we thought would have a lot to say." "I think he can give people an insight on why racism happens -- give you a look into the thoughts people have," Sharron, a Sigma Chi brother, said. "[Poussaint] is such a respected man in his field," said COLORS co-Chairperson and College junior Kristofer Love. "Given that COLORS is about race relations on campus, he can shed a lot of light on the effects that racism and discrimination have on this society. "I think his speech will be a step in helping people understand each other, understanding why there is discrimination and how that affects everybody," the Alpha Phi Alpha brother added. Poussaint's lecture begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Nursing Education Building Auditorium. -- Lisa Levenson The Commission on Strengthening the Community will hold an open forum for members of the University community today at noon Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, room 1206. The forum, the first of two scheduled to be held this month, will address topics addressed in the Commission's report, which was released in earlier this month. Commission Chairperson Gloria Chisum said earlier this month that information acquired from the two forums will be used by Commission members in writing their final report, which is expected to be released sometime next month. -- Andrew Rafalaf