Minority students will soon have the opportunity to gain knowledge concerning their academic lives at Iowa State.

The Minority Liaison Program coordinators held a meeting in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union on Wednesday to discuss various opportunities available to minority students who attend ISU or are interested in being a student at ISU.

Speakers representing different colleges discussed the services their colleges provide.

Lynn Lundy, the program coordinator for the YWCA, said they will hold meetings each week to discuss minority issues. Next week’s topic will deal with black women in history and the following week will focus on violence against women, Lundy said. These meetings will be held weekly through April 30.

Attendance was low at yesterday’s meeting, but program coordinators hope more students will participate in the future.

Academic counseling, financial aid, internships and hardships that minorities may face were discussed.

Melissa DeRadcliffe, a minority liaison officer and academic adviser for the College of LAS, said, “I deal with black issues in higher education and I also do many other things.”

DeRadcliffe said she sends out newsletters monthly with any information that regards minorities. “I want to know what students in my college, which happens to be LAS, want to know,” she said.

“LAS is the largest minority college on campus and would like students to tell me what they want to know,” DeRadcliffe said.

Lyle Smith also has a background in academic support services and student counseling through working with the admissions office.

“I am an outreach person who works with the admissions office on campus. I am working on a project that targets students in the Chicago area,” Smith said.

Smith said he works with ethnic minorities and helps inform students who are on temporary enrollment or having other academic difficulties about what services are available through the college

Chris Donaldson, speaker for the College of Education, said, “I want to increase the retention rate. A number of students don’t know that I am there. I have written letters to students letting them know that I am here to talk to and that they can come talk to me anytime.”

Donaldson said he hopes upperclassmen undergraduates will become mentors to incoming freshmen and that they will provide good examples for them.

Juan DaVila, the speaker from the College of Business, said “I am an academic adviser on a half-time basis. The College of Business works with other colleges on certain minority issues.”

He said he also works with the admissions office and with various programs such as the Minority Business Network, which is the main outlet of programming dealing with workshops, field trips and technology programs.

“Computers are being used to reach new students. Electronic mail is used to communicate with students. The Minority Business Network will be holding its first meeting this week and it will talk about internships available to minority students,” DaVila said.

“I also send mail to students with GPA’s below 2.0 in order to let them know that there are services available to help them with their academic situations,” he said.