Last Saturday, Student Life and Leadership held their Eighth Annual “Change the Status Quo” conference that featured a series of workshops and presentations that aimed to give students an array of ways to get involved inside and outside the community.
Along with a yoga class, organic breakfast and slam poetry session, Change the Status Quo featured members from the non-profit organization, Invisible Children, started by three men while they were in college in San Diego, and a former Ugandan child-soldier, Jacob.
“It’s important to tell people about Invisible Children and what they do,” Jacob said.
Travis Murdoch, one of the Invisible Children Road Crew was also at the conference.
“It’s an amazing organization,” Murdoch said, “I’d love to stay a part of Invisible Children as long as I can.”
Jacob spoke about his time as a child soldier in the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda after being kidnapped from his home. He escaped from them at age 14.
20 years old now, he just graduated high school in Africa. High school isn’t always affordable like it is in the United States, so groups like Invisible Children and SLO for Darfur, another group who presented on Saturday, raise money to help fund schools.
The conference, themed “Educate, Motivate, then Activate,” hosted a variety of workshops that focussed on topics anywhere from creative ways to recycle, to human trafficking in Cambodia, to the importance of oak trees in this area.
One of the workshops called “Light Skin is In” was put on by the Society of Black Engineers and Scientists, addressed the rapid growing stereotype that African-American students who’s skin is a lighter tone are smarter and more socially desirable that those who have darker skin.
A workshop given by Meghan Hazlett and Sara Prendergast was about world hunger. Their presentation looked at four different families from all over the world that span the “developemental spectrum.” It compared the different living situations to each other to give students an idea of what is happening and what they can do to alliviate hunger.
“It’s perhaps the most basic part of sustainability – world hunger,” Hazlett said.
Cal Poly alumni of the graphic design department, Lindsey Collinsworth, said she has come to Change the Status Quo conferences in the past.
“I’m really excited for the permaculture (workshop),” she said. “I’m also really interested in the banning of plastic bags. It seems like something we could really do.”
Change the Status Quo also featured a slam poet who calls herself “Simply Kat.” During her presention she addressed issues like love and humanity. Apart of the Hollywood Slam team, Simply Kat has been featured on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” and has won multiple awards for her spoken word poetry.
During the event’s preview night on Friday, there was an open mic portion where individuals got up and read their own personal poetry.
A well known student poet known as Saba recited two of her own poems about love and identity.
“As long as I’m alive, I have a reason to smile,” she said.
Kasey Fitzpatrick, an architectural engineering junior came to see the poets on Friday night.
“I always come to slam poetry,” she said. “I have two midterms to study for but if I have a study break I’ll definitely come to see Kat tomorrow.”
The team behind Change the Status Quo said that they were extremely happy with the turnout for the conference. After months of planning, scheduling and rescheduling, the conference filled Chumash Auditorium with people looking to find ways to make a change in society.