Bowie State University News April 19, 2011 Bowie State University Students Aim to Make a Difference ONE Chapter Earns Spot at National Conference (Bowie, Md.)- Bowie State University's new chapter of the ONE organization earned a top 20 spot in the nation for the ONE Campus Challenge event, which landed them an invitation to the ONE Power Summit April 9-12, 2011 in Washington, D.C. ONE Campus Challenge is an annual, intercollegiate competition which challenges university students to executive global poverty-fighting campaigns in various issues such as AIDS, hunger and vaccines. A number of ONE Campus Challenge participants, including the top 20 winners, are invited to attend the ONE Power Summit, which is an invitation-only leadership conference that brings 150 of ONE's top volunteer advocates for a weekend filled with keynote speakers, training, workshops and lobbying. Additional schools are also invited to attend based on significant achievements during the past year. "It was very rewarding for us to be involved in the ONE Power Summit our first year," said Bowie State University student and ONE Campus Leader Nancy Delgado. "We worked so hard to develop a ONE chapter on campus and to have been in the top 20 for the first ONE Campus Challenge we have participated in is very encouraging. The Power Summit promotes lobbying on behalf of the world's poorest areas, something we are very passionate about." As part of the ONE Campus Challenge which earned them top 20 status, the BSU Chapter used the opportunity to distribute invitations to the entire campus to join the new chapter. They partnered with various faculty members at the University to present information to classes about ONE and incorporated social media strategies to promote membership. The final event for the challenge was a campaign on vaccines where members asked students to sign petitions encouraging Congress not to cut the less than one percent of U.S. federal budget that is allocated for foreign assistance. "BSU's ONE chapter offers extraordinary opportunities for personal and collective growth for students with dreams and talents for making a difference in an ever changing world," said Prof. Dwight Ellis, faculty member in the Department of Communications and advisor for BSU's ONE chapter. "We look forward to many productive years ahead." The Bowie State University ONE Chapter officially launched March 9, 2011 under the advisement of Prof. Dwight Ellis in the Department of Communications. Currently, 76 students are members with Gabriel Gade serving as president and Shakyla Wise serving as press secretary, both communications majors. The organization hopes to continue recruiting new members in the coming year and participate in the ONE Campus Challenge, aiming to win next year with the experience they now have. For more information on the BSU Chapter of ONE, click here. ONE is a grassroots advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. The organization works closely with African activists and policy makers to support smart and effective policies and programs. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.