Student Congress approved a resolution at its Tuesday meeting to fund next week’s campus-wide diversity celebration, CommongrOUnd.

Student Congress approved up to $1,000 for food and entertainment at the celebration, and passed a separate resolution agreeing to become a sponsor of CommongrOUnd.

OU Hillel is organizing the celebration, while 50 student organizations will sponsor the event, said Sam Scharff, OU Hillel CommongrOUnd coordinator.

“This is one of the most important things we will do on campus all year,” said Forrest Bennett, political science and history sophomore, University College district.

“In a state that can be so closed-minded, it is important for our university and our society to see all of these groups come together.”

Bennett said the 50 groups that have signed up are groups that range from those that support civil liberties to those who support making the Earth greener.

“By giving CommongrOUnd funding, we are showing universities all over the country that it is how you can unite and bring students together,” said Brett Stidham, human resources management junior, business district. “We want to send Norman and even the entire state the message that we as a student body celebrate diversity at this university.”

Stidham and Isaac Freeman, international securities studies senior, social sciences district, said the CommongrOUnd celebration is based in part as a “positive response” to the “negative display” of free speech when the Westboro Baptist Church came to Norman Sept. 18.

“I was very upset when they were here, and I really wanted to go out and show them how angry I was,” Freeman said. “This celebration of diversity is a great way to respond to what took place.”

UOSA Student Congress Vice Chairman Matt Gress said by Student Congress supporting CommongrOUnd, the event will now have access to catering by food services in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Event coordinators will also have access to other university services.

Members of OU Hillel were present in the Student Congress meeting to share details about the event.

“This will be an event that will support diversity in epic proportions,” Scharff said. “We have a lot of speakers, live music and great food. Everyone should come out. It is going to be great.”

Scharff also said the keynote speaker for the event will be David Ray, interim dean of the Honors College.

“With all of the groups that have asked to be apart of this event, [this is going to be] a great display and celebration of diversity,” Scharff said.

UOSA works for more student involvement

The UOSA Executive Branch and the Undergraduate Student Congress are teaming up to urge more people to participate in student government.

The new campaign for student involvement encourages students to run in the fall general election and to also seek other jobs that are open.

“We want people to get involved in their student government,” UOSA President Katie Fox said. “There are a lot of ways people can get involved, and we want as many as we can to sign up.”

Fox said applications for many different kinds of offices are available in the Conoco Leadership Wing of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

But the campaign is not necessarily a result of last spring’s election, said UOSA Student Congress spokesman Spencer Pittman.

“Last spring was not necessarily a failure,” Pittman said. “We have many leaders in Congress that have come out of the elections last spring. We are just trying to get more people involved and create a higher diversity in the number of candidates that run for seats in the fall general election.”

Pittman said if more people sign up for any office and not just those up for election this fall, student government will become more diverse to meet the needs of all students at OU.

“If we have a lot of candidates then that gives students a real choice in who they are electing,” he said. “We want to fill every seat in Congress with a diverse group of leaders so we can have unique legislation and action taking place that will benefit all students.”

Student Congress has launched an interactive Web site at www.ou.edu/congress, and they have also set up a booth in the union so students can ask them questions and sign up for jobs in UOSA.

Jeff Riles, fall 2009 general election chair, said UOSA is making access to sign up to run in the fall election easier for students.

Applications to run in the fall 2009 general election are due by 5:00 p.m., on Thursday in the Conoco Leadership Wing of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.