It only happens once every eight years.

And this year, Iowa State will host the Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government. Local members of the planning committee said they are excited about the opportunity to host an event that unites black leaders from throughout the Midwest.

“It’s a big undertaking, especially for a student, but it will pay off in the end,” said Robert Wardlow, a junior in business and conference finance director.

This year’s theme is Black POWER Revisited, said Kyle Pierce, a junior in engineering and the committee chairman. POWER stands for the following:

“Power to transcend or rise above our current societal conditions,

Overcoming adversity,

Working toward unity for strength,

Educating ourselves and our community and

Reclaiming our history and respecting our ancestors.”

POWER Revisited has been supervised by about 30 directors and 100 committee members. The conference will take place Feb. 20-23. More than 1,000 black students are expected to attend.

“The Big Eight Council was established in 1976, and it represented [Black Student Alliance] presidents all over what was then the Big Eight athletic conference,” Pierce said. “The following year, a conference was put on to network with other students in the region.”

This year marks the 20th conference, which has grown from the original eight schools to about 50 colleges and universities.

“There will be people coming from as far as Rice and also from DMACC and Drake,” Pierce said.

Both Pierce and Wardlow said that POWER Revisited may be the final Big Eight conference.

“Next year it might be called the Big 12 conference,” Wardlow said. “We are working on getting the Texas schools involved.”

A comedy show on Thursday night will kick off the conference. Various speakers and workshops will take place throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. A gospel extravaganza is being planned for Friday night.

Wardlow said he anticipates the step show on Saturday night at Stephens Auditorium to be the highlight.

Both the gospel extravaganza and the step show will be open to the public, Wardlow said. Organizers are selling tickets to those events.

Saturday’s schedule will also feature an awards ceremony, where ISU BSA officials hope to do well. “ISU is in the running for best BSA,” Pierce said. “We just keep winning ‘Most Improved.'”

The committee has extended the registration deadline to Feb. 7. Interested persons can get more information about registering by contacting the conference office at 294-5104.

The programs are open to everyone.