View source for UMOJA

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==Mission Statement==
As an active member, Shawn Nannan believes UMOJA's mission statement to be inadequate.  In fact, he believes that this group has transformed for the better within the past couple of years due to improved leadership and student's interest in the club.  Given this, Nannan says that "they have gone above and beyond to fulfill the mission as stated".  The club's official mission is this:
UMOJA- (ooh-MOE-jah) means Unite, the concept in which this organization is based on. The House of Umoja is an organization that was founded by seven women who sought to createa a space where students of different ethnicities, race, socio-economic backgrounds and religions could speak freely about pressing issues.  It was created for the purpose of establishing and maintaining unity among the Dickinson students and the Carlisle community at large. This organization works in affiliation with Dickinson College and it is open to any student who is willing to dedicate themselves to upholding the integrity of the organization and advancing Umoja's goals.
This and other information about the club can be found on their website [http://www.dickinson.edu/~umoja/ here]  The club works on a volunteer basis with the Carlisle community and also sponsors and coordinates events on campus that further their mission.

===Events===

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|With the exception of Apollo Night, UMOJA is not known for hosting events on its own.  Instead, UMOJA works with many of the other groups on campus such as the Latin American Club and certain sororities to show its interest in supporting and promoting diversity on campus.  They prefer to use their funds to help other groups better their events.  These events include cultural dinners, speakers, and performances.  Most notably though is Apollo Night.  This event raises money that usually goes to help the sick or needy.  For example, in 2002, profits were sent to National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
|[[Image:42_guitar_tl.jpg|thumb|Description]] 
|}


===Effectiveness===
Shawn Nannan believes that UMOJA deserves a 5 for its effectiveness on campus given that the club has really expanded and grown in the last few years.  He said, "UMOJA has transformed itself and over the recent years has undoubtedly fulfilled its mission.  They deserve a 5 for their efforts."

===Problems/Dilemmas===
As we have seen with multiple other groups, UMOJA's largest roadblock is funding.  This year, they received a $50 budget from Student Senate which does not allow UMOJA to do all of the things the members of the club would like.  As a result, UMOJA does a lot of fundraising activities (as many other groups are forced to do) in order to pay for and carry out the activities they plan for the upcoming year.  On a personal note, Shawn Nannan added, "I think if the Frisbee and Equestrian clubs can get several THOUSANDS of dollars…UMOJA can get more than $50."  He sees this inequality in funding as a problem Student Senate has with their priorities.  Should not community service organizations rank a little higher on their list of priorites?


This page by Goldie Pyka

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