Kent State’s health honorary Eta Sigma Gamma will host a two-day conference, “Leadership: Advocacy & Organizing,” beginning at 6 p.m. today in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. Tonight’s section of the conference will feature several speakers who will discuss how to effectively lobby for a cause.

The group of scheduled speakers includes the Rev. Tony Minor of Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, the group presenting the conference. SYRF is a national organization that advocates as a “pro-faith and pro-choice group.” The organization’s Web site, www.syrf.org, says its goal is to help educate and encourage students to “put their faith into action and advocate for pro-choice social justice.”

Tomorrow morning, registered students will travel to Columbus to put their advocacy training to work. Students will gain experience lobbying at the Capitol Building, and will attend meetings and presentations tomorrow afternoon. The bus will leave from Moulton Hall for Columbus at 9 a.m. and students will return to Kent tomorrow evening.

Tonight’s advocacy training part of the conference will be held in the ballroom balcony on the second floor of the Student Center. The professional conference is valued at $200 but is free to all Kent students. Students can register for the conference from 5:30 to 6 p.m. this evening in the ballroom balcony.

– Amanda Hayes