Last modified: Thursday, October 2, 2008
Indiana University to host inaugural “Classic IU” outreach program
IU campuses come together in an effort to recruit Indiana's minority students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 2, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs of Indiana University will be hosting its inaugural "Classic IU" minority outreach program this Saturday (Oct. 4), during the Circle City Classic celebrations.
"Classic IU" is an effort to make college more accessible and high school students more informed about the processes of college preparation and admissions requirements. Minority high school students from local high schools in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Kokomo will be offered a glimpse of collegiate life and the opportunities at IU.
IU has coordinated a full day of activities that revolve around "Classic IU" events. Students will be able to attend the parade and see collegiate bands in action. Later, they will be joined by IU Vice President Edwin Marshall and other IU staff at the IUPUI Conference Center for lunch and the discussions about college. The final event of the day is the Classic football game, where Alabama A&M University will take on Tuskegee University.
This program will offer discussions on how to prepare for college, the application process, financial aid applications, student involvement and leadership opportunities. IU staff from the Bloomington, IUPUI and Kokomo campuses will lead these discussions, and student leaders from participating campuses will serve as mentors to the high school students and will share their experiences and tips about college.
IU has organized minority student outreach programs before, but this is the first time that such a fully coordinated effort among multiple IU campuses has taken place in conjunction with the Circle City Classic. Minority students are often the first generation in their families to attend college, so extra effort is needed to help them through the college preparation, application and admission processes, which can be very tedious and intimidating, Marshall said.
IU's "Classic IU" Outreach will be held at the University Place Hotel on the IUPUI campus. Building on the success of this year's pilot program in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Kokomo, the university plans to expand the program in future years to other cities where there are IU campuses.
