Cal Poly students and community members concerned with different societal issues will have the chance to become better informed on their issue of choice and discover how to take action at the 7th Annual Change the Status Quo, “A Student’s Role in Shaping Society.”
“A lot of people know what they want to do, but they don’t know where to start,” said social sciences sophomore Michelle Fox, who is one of four directors involved in coordinating the event with Student Community Services. “This is a good place to start. It’s a student’s role in shaping society.”
The two-day event kicks off Friday evening with a preview of the presenters from all 28 of Saturday’s workshops. Presenters will discuss multiple issues, promote discussion and provide students tangible tools to take action on campus.
“I think it’s an awesome place to meet people that are passionate and willing to actually put ideas into action because sometimes it’s hard to find people like that,” said Jared Gamm, a biology senior and a director of the conference.
Slam poet Sonya Renee, who many say has redefined what it means to be a woman in slam poetry, will conclude the evening with her poetry, which discusses her social activism and advocacy for women’s rights.
“It’s such a huge honor to have her because she is just absolutely amazing,” said Melody Shirazi, art and design senior. “Her words are articulate and she just moves you with how she flows and her energy onstage is kinetic.”
Friday’s event for the Status Quo Conference takes place in Chumash Auditorium at 5 p.m. The preview is free and open to everyone.
Registration for the second day of the conference, which is the day of the workshops, costs $10 for students and $20 for non-students. The price buys students an optional yoga session, breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and the chance to be a part of a maximum of four workshops.
“Something different we did with our workshops this year is we required an action piece that all of the workshops have something tangible you can use,” Fox said. “Sometimes after a conference, momentum dies. Here, we want to actually do something that day and if you want to continue with it, you have the opportunity.”
Last year, approximately 300 students and community members attended but the number is expected to be higher this year.
The conference brings people together who are passionate about issues college students and future leaders should be aware of while giving information and an avenue for action, said Jacqueline Chan, microbiology senior and a director of the event.
The keynote speaker will be Spencer Brodsky, a 17-year-old Maryland student who created a program that makes and sends stoves that burn 70 percent less wood to Darfur. The program, called Stoves for Darfur, creates a more sustainable environment and less work for women in gathering wood. He will begin the event with a presentation after breakfast.
“We chose him because of his grassroots organizing,” Fox said. “This one person did this really cool thing, so therefore you guys could do this really cool thing and all the workshops could lead to this change.”
Other workshops include: Victory Over Violence, which discusses passive violence and ways a person can take action against it; Net Neutrality and the Future of the Internet, which discusses the topic through multimedia and group activities, and California and the New Energy Economy, which informs people about the important energy and climate policies, among many more.
The workshops are generally discussion-based, but there will be time for questions, answers and even more information available at booths after each workshop.
“When you have 50 people in the same room discussing an issue, it’s a powerful environment to be in and is lucrative to creative thoughts, solutions get discussed and action gets taken,” Chan said.
Saturday’s event begins in Chumash Auditorium at 9 a.m. with the optional yoga session beginning at 8 a.m. Students can register the day of the event for $10. Students can view a full list of workshops at www.scs.calpoly.edu.
“There is such a huge impact that one person can have on another and I think that hugely ties into what we do with the conference,” Shirazi said. “You’re going to a workshop and within that workshop, you are given tangible tools of how you, this one small person, can empower yourself just by knowing about what is happening in the world or to other people. Knowledge is power.”