Minorities adjust easier with 'Sister, Sister'

In an attempt to introduce freshman minority women to the various resources available to them at the University, the Penn Women's Center and Sigma Lambda Upsilon sponsored a "Sister, Sister" meeting Wednesday night in Houston Hall. African American and Latino student representatives and faculty from different University organizations were present to share their experiences at the University and offer advice to incoming students. College senior and event co-coordinator Madeleine Lopez and Gloria Gay, associate director of the Women's Center, spent the summer planning the Women of Color Leadership Networking Session. Lopez, who is president of Sigma Lambda Upsilon, said the event kicked off "Raices," the sorority's month-long celebration of Latino heritage. The title for the celebration comes from a Spanish word meaning "roots." Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Assistant English Professor Farah Griffin and Wharton senior and President of the BiCultural InterGreek Council Trista Bridges were among the women leaders who spoke at the event. Gay began the session by emphasizing that female minority leaders must reach out to first-year women early in their college careers. She felt that the freshmen needed some place to go in case of academic or social problems. Gay also discussed issues of dating, violence and racism on campus. In addition, some of the upperclassmen told stories about their experiences as freshman. About 20 students attended the "Sister, Sister" meeting. Many of them said they found the two-hour gathering worthwhile. "It's nice to know that other people are out there with the same experiences," said Engineering freshman Marchela Atkinson. College junior and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alliance Co-Chairperson Maria Gonzalez thought the meeting was a good introduction for freshmen. "If I had the same support during my freshman year, I would have succeeded more readily," she said. The faculty also had positive comments about the meeting. "I thought it was very good," said College Assistant Dean for Minority Affairs and Advising Janice Curington. "I missed 'Sister, Sister' last year, but it's nice to come back to it." English Professor Ines Salazar also praised Lopez and 1995 College graduate Tania Caceres for organizing the event. Gay said the "Sister, Sister" meeting, which has been in existence for more than 10 years, was first introduced by Jackie Wade, a former University student.