Active Minds organization tenacious about funding upcoming trip

Eric Wright, vice-president of the FAMU chapter of Active Minds, spoke to the 39th Student Senate Monday about being denied funds to send three students to the national conference next month.

Active Minds has been an active organization for six months, which makes it ineligible for allocation funds.

 “I feel like to look at an allocation and say this person hasn’t been active for a year is a load of irresponsibility,” Wright said.

Wright thinks what the organization has done for FAMU should be considered and not how long it has been active.

 “Just last week we screened over 150 students for depression, we hosted over 200 freshman for [the] Sex on the Hill Seminar and we hosted over 100 students in the pharmacy building for a depression panel,” Wright said. “Active Minds has done so much to accommodate Florida A&M.”

The conference will be held from Nov. 12-13 at George Washington University in Washington. The three students representing FAMU Active Minds will present a proposal on the health disparities between blacks and whites.

Wright said Active Minds is still planning to go “by any means necessary.”

“I told my club last week, that even if I have to pay for myself to go just so Florida A&M can be represented, it’s something that we need to do,” Wright said.
Senate President, Asia McFarland, spoke to Wright about finding other ways to fund the trip.

“I  definitely want to get with you to try to find another way to get the funds outside of the senate,” McFarland said. “It is something we did want to fund until we ran into that issue that’s prohibiting us us from funding your organization.”

The executive branch announced it would be hosting the third annual Pink Tie Ball. The event will take place Oct. 30 at Southwood House located on Hemingway Blvd and will help to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer.

Tickets are available in the Student Government Office at $10 for students, $20 dollars for breast cancer survivors and $30 dollars for general admission. Organizations and companies may also purchase tables that seat eight at $70 for student organizations and $200 for non-student organizations.

Chief of Staff Ashley Nelson said she thinks breast cancer awareness is significant to the black community.

“Breast Cancer Awareness is important, especially when it’s pertaining to African-American females. We find out too late, and by the time we do find out it will probably be too late,” Nelson said.

Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and FAMU President James Ammons have been invited to attend the Pink Tie Ball.

“I think that the Pink Tie Ball is a great initiative,” Nelson said. “It’s going to get more publicity this year so hopefully we will be able to effectively get out the word as well as raise enough funds to donate.

Donations of $5 or more will also be accepted will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.