A variety of campus minority groups met last night with the Black Latino Greek Council to help plan the Pan-African Studies Department 30th anniversary celebration.

The council is leading the celebration, which will feature a gala event including dinner, dancing and an award ceremony for faculty members and students, President Elizabeth Marengo said prior to the meeting.

The event is tentatively scheduled to be in room 201 of Oscar Richie Hall on either 23 or April 24.

The event will be open to all students, as well as university alumni, Marengo said.

“The plan is for all the proceeds to be put into a fund to have one of the rooms in Oscar Richie renovated,” Marengo said.

Students discussed possibilities for uses of the event proceeds, such as building a patio behind Oscar Richie and purchasing frames and plaques for the pictures lining the walls in the Mbari Mbayo Lecture Hall.

Members of other minority groups on campus were invited to help with the planning stages of the event. Students from NAACP, BUS, Uhuru, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Voices of Testimony gospel choir were a few who attended.

“(Your involvement) is whatever you would like to put into this weekend,” Multicultural Coordinator Aliyah Wilson said. “This is our chance to do something for Oscar Richie, and that’s why we open it up to all the organizations.”

Costs for tickets and food have not been decided, as the budget has yet to be determined, Marengo said.

Marengo said she is expecting about 150 attendees at the gala, but encourages everyone who is interested to consider coming.

“The more the merrier,” she said.

Many other topics in relation to the event were brought up during the meeting.

One idea brought up was allowing each of the minority organizations to give out their own award during the recognition ceremony.

Contact buildings and grounds reporter William Schertz at [email protected].