January 23, 2018
Letter from Associate Vice President for Student Life Adrian Rodriguez
Dear K-State Family,
It is a true honor to be welcoming you to join in this year's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week activities. Through a great deal of collaboration, the MLK Observance Week committee along with many dedicated individuals, have put together an incredible arrangement of events.
Activities were kicked off with our MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 15, hosted by the Staley School of Leadership Studies in the Manhattan community. On Friday, Jan. 19, a remarkable "I Was There: Reflections on MLK's 1968 K-State Visit" session in Town Hall of the Leadership Studies Building was hosted by K-State Libraries and the K-State Alumni Association.
This week's activities include:
Tuesday, Jan. 23
- 18th annual College of Business Administration Diversity Lecture by Natacha Buchanan, 1:15 p.m. College of Business Building Auditorium. Buchanan is a senior advisor of inclusion and diversity at Phillips 66 and 2002 graduate of Kanas State University.
- Commerce Bank Presidential Awards for Diversity, 3:30 p.m. K-State Alumni Center Banquet Room. Hosted by Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs. Larry Moeder, associate vice president for student life and executive director of admissions and student financial assistance; and Chelsea Turner, junior in American ethnic studies, will be honored for promoting diversity at Kansas State University.
- Professional development, 6:30 p.m. Heritage Room, 223 Weber Hall. Hosted by the College of Agriculture. Students will have the opportunity to browse student organizations and other student resource booths. In preparation for College of Agriculture's Agri-Industry Career Fair, Career Center's Mary Ellen Barkley will be available to review student resumes in the Heritage Room at Weber Hall.
Wednesday, Jan. 24
- Fourth annual Civil Rights College of Arts and Sciences Teach-In, noon to 3 p.m. K-State Student Union courtyard. Four faculty members will speak on social justice issues related to race, gender and sexual orientation.
- "Sins of our fathers: Growing up in the shadow of segregation and in the hope of integration," 3-4 p.m. Town Hall of the Leadership Studies Building. Hosted by College of Architecture, Planning & Design.
- Cheryl S. Durst presentation, 4:30 p.m. Regnier Forum at Regnier Hall. Hosted by College of Architecture, Planning & Design. As executive vice president and CEO of the International Interior Design Association, Cheryl Durst is committed to recognizing the value and significance of design in society.
Thursday, Jan. 25
- MLK Week Lecture with Martin Luther King III and candlelight vigil, 12:30 p.m. Forum Hall, K-State Student Union. Hosted by Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs and Kappa Tau Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. As the oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III serves as ambassador of his parents' legacy of nonviolent social change. He is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference — co-founded by his father — as well as president of Realizing the Dream Inc., sharing nonviolence training in Bosnia Herzegovina, India, Israel, Kenya, Sri Lanka and the United States.
- Laying of the Wreaths, 2 p.m. MLK Bust. Hosted by Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs.
- "I Am Not Your Negro" screening, 5:30 p.m. Beach Museum of Art. This documentary examines the painful history of racism in 20th-century America by bringing to life James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript, "Remember this House," narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Black Student Union leaders will moderate a post-film discussion.
Friday, Jan. 26
- K-State Affinity Group Brown Bag Lunch — Dr. King's Speech Listening Party, Cottonwood Room of the K-State Student Union. Bring a brown bag lunch and listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 speech at Kansas State University.
It is our hope that you will be able to join us for as many of these events as possible as we come together to celebrate the legacy and influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A special thank you to the MLK Observance Week committee, Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs, Office of the Provost, various colleges and student organizations, and advocates for social change across our great university who have contributed to this great celebration.
May we all come together to honor each other and to continue the strides of KSUnite. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "In all of our actions we must stick together. Unity is the great need of the hour, and if we are united we can get many of the things that we not only desire but which we justly deserve."
Much appreciation,
Adrian Rodriguez
Associate vice president for student life
Diversity and multicultural student affairs