Perelman Quadrangle is hardly a hub of social activism. Last weekend, however, the typically austere buildings came to life as nearly 1,400 students, administrators and community activists from across the nation convened for the annual Campus Outreach Opportunity League Idealist National Conference.
First held at Harvard University in 1984, the conference boasts a slew of forums and workshops -- with titles ranging from "Hey... Soldier... Leave Those Kids Alone!" and "Justice for Janitors" to "The Truth About Tampons" and "Beyond Petting Puppies and Planting Trees: Real Service for Animals and the Environment."
"This conference was incredibly exciting -- not only because it was COOL's 20th anniversary, but also because it represents the first major joint venture resulting from COOL merging with Idealist," said Melissa Herwaldt Riches, the Action Without Borders Idealist.org events manager.
"Together, the campus team worked endlessly and devoted an enormous amount of creativity and energy, which, in my opinion, resulted in the best COOL conference ever."
The conference also included an Opportunities Fair where participants could network with numerous nonprofit organizations over the course of three days.
"The COOL conference is a vital tool for Oxfam America to spread the word about ways students can join us in the fight for global social justice," Oxfam America National Outreach Program Assistant Melanie Moore said. "I've been really impressed this year with the caliber of student activists attending."
Primarily organized by 15 full-time staff from offices in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, with assistance from another 40 volunteers, the conference featured a number of keynote speakers, including Echoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey; White Dog Enterprises founder and Chief Executive Officer Judy Wicks; and stone circles founder, Empty the Shelters founder and Penn alumna Claudia Horwitz.
"I was just waiting for someone to ask me to do something meaningful," said Horwitz, recounting a revelation she had junior year.
"I realized that my Ivy League education -- as great as it was -- [didn't] teach me to read the world," Horwitz said of her inspiration to devote her time to service.
The conference also highlighted prominent activists for their community engagement efforts.
Civic House Director David Grossman was presented with the Putting Idealism to Work Administrator Award for his work in fostering students' awareness of and interest in nonprofit and socially responsible careers after college.
"The conference was a wonderful opportunity to both showcase much of our community work at Penn and to learn with and from students, faculty, administrators and community partners from across the country," Grossman said.
Volunteers for the conference spoke enthusiastically about their work.
"Meeting students from all over who traveled 20 hours to come and learn is just unbelievable," Idealist.org Campus Ambassador and Drexel sophomore Jessica DeLisa said. "The Oxfam Hunger Banquet Saturday night was very successful in that many students participated and interacted."
Conference volunteer and Engineering and College senior Roy Lehman said he was similarly inspired.
"My experience has been really positive," Lehman said. "The different sessions covered an entire continuum of service to activism opportunities. I feel I most benefited from the dynamic interactions I've had with the different people attending."
Many students were already looking forward to attending next year's conference at the University of California, Berkeley.
The COOL Conference has "been one of the most enlightening and inspiring experiences of my life," Princeton freshman Michael Alonso said. "I'm excited about [next year's conference] being in California."
