Inside Iowa State

Feb. 29, 2008

Olympian Billy Mills headlines ISCORE lineup

by Erin Rosacker

The ninth installment of the annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE) is March 7 in the Memorial Union. The daylong event features a keynote lunch speaker, four breakout sessions, a film presentation and a dessert reception.

The conference opens with registration and a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. At 9 a.m., Loreto Prieto, director of ISU's U.S. Latino/a Studies Program, will deliver the opening address.

Participants have 20 topics to choose from during the breakout sessions (two each in the morning and the afternoon). The film Malcolm and Martin also will be screened during the morning sessions.

Olympian Billy Mills will deliver the keynote address over the lunch hour. An Oglala Lakota Sioux Native American, Mills won a gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His story was the subject of the 1984 film Running Brave.

Mills is an advocate for Native American youth. He co-authored the book Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Understanding. He is co-founder and national spokesperson for "Running Strong for American Indian Youth," a development and empowerment organization for American Indian communities.

The 4 p.m. dessert reception features remarks by faculty, students and staff who participated in the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NSCORE).

Participation is free, but registration is required. A registration form and detailed list of events are online. For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, 4-6338.

There is no participation fee for Iowa State's 9th annual ISCORE conference, but registration is required. A registration form and list of events are online.