WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Columbia University law professor Patricia J. Williams will be the keynote speaker at Purdue University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration called “Walk the Talk.”

Patricia J. Williams keynotes the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Purdue.

Williams, who is the author of three books and has been published widely in the areas of race, gender, and law, as well as legal theory and legal writing, will speak at 7 p.m., Jan. 21 at Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall.

Williams is a graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Law School. She has served on faculties of the University of Wisconsin School of Law, Harvard University’s Women’s Studies Program, and the City University of New York Law School at Queen’s College. As a law professor, she has testified before Congress and acted as a consultant and coordinator for various public interest lawsuits. Before entering academia, she practiced law as a consumer advocate and deputy city attorney for the City of Los Angeles, and as a staff attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Williams’ speech, titled “Seeing a color blind future,” is one of several events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Purdue.

Other activities pertaining to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration include:

• The Boiler Care-and-Share nonfood donation drive will continue through Thursday (Jan. 14). Those interested may place their donations at boxes located at various buildings on campus. Suggested items include baby powder, brushes, bathroom tissue, bath soap, mouthwash, combs, pens, notepads and dictionaries. For a complete list of suggested items and dropoff locations, visit http://www.purdue.edu/mlk/care_share.html. The items will be donated to Food Finders Food Bank Inc., which serves 16 Indiana counties including Tippecanoe.
• Students, staff and community volunteers will participate in a Day of Service on Monday (Jan. 18) to help local nonprofit agencies. Those interested in volunteering must sign up by Friday (Jan. 15) by contacting the Boiler Volunteer Network at 765-496-2450 or via e-mail at bvn@purdue.edu or by visiting http://www.purdue.edu/bvn
• On Monday, volunteers will begin checking in at 9 a.m. at Shreve Hall prior to a continental breakfast. Their work, throughout the Greater Lafayette area, will start at 10 a.m. An appreciation luncheon will follow from 12:30-2 p.m. at Shreve Hall.
• The Purdue Dreamer Award will be presented to Thelma Snuggs, assistant professor of consumer sciences and retailing, after Williams’ keynote speech on Jan. 21. The award, established in 2004, is given annually to an individual or organization within the Purdue community whose contributions embody Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of service to others and further the university’s commitment to diversity.
• The Diversity Roundtable and Greater Lafayette Commerce will host a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday at the Tippecanoe County Public Library in downtown Lafayette, where results of a diversity climate survey will be released. The survey, which was conducted by the Purdue Social Research Institute, addresses the attitudes of the greater Lafayette community toward diversity. JoAnn Miller, interim head of Purdue’s Department of Sociology, analyzed the survey’s results.

The Diversity Roundtable is a volunteer community group sponsored by Greater Lafayette Commerce to promote diversity in the community. Participants include concerned residents and representatives from various local businesses and organizations.

Martin Luther King Jr. events are sponsored by the Diversity Resource Office in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, Black Cultural Center, African American Studies and Research Center, Office of the Vice President for Housing and Food Services, Latino Cultural Center, Native American Educational and Cultural Center, and the Boiler Volunteer Network.

For more information, contact the Diversity Resource Office at 765-494-7307 or e-mail dro@purdue.edu.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Boiler Volunteer Network collected more than 12,000 pounds of food this month thanks to Purdue University students, faculty and staff.

The eighth annual Fall Harvest Food Drive solicited donations from the Purdue community, with all items going to the Food Finders Food Bank, which serves 16 Indiana counties.

Twenty-five student organizations participated, and the Boiler Volunteer Network Student Leadership Team donated the most food in that category, with 933 pounds turned in.

Six residence halls made donations, with Owen Hall turning in the most at 648 pounds.

Nine university academic and administrative units participated in the food drive, with Purdue Telefund donating the most in that category, with 1,310 pounds.

In the fraternity, sorority and cooperative house category, Theta Chi gave the most, with 506 pounds. Eight other organizations also participated.

Four people also made donations as individuals, with Josh Garrison, a junior majoring in prepharmacy from Noblesville, Ind., giving the most at 63 pounds.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s Boiler Volunteer Network kicked off the eighth annual Fall Harvest Food Drive on Monday (Oct. 27). Students, faculty and staff will be able to donate to the food drive through Nov. 21. All donations will benefit Food Finders Food Bank, which serves 16 counties in Indiana.

Boiler Volunteer Network Director Harry Brown said that the group hopes to collect at least 14,000 pounds of food. He said more people are in need of donations this year due to the turbulent economy.

The food bank is seeking non-perishable items, especially canned vegetables, canned tuna or canned chicken, rice, beans, soups, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruits, cereal, flour and juices.

Donors are welcome to give food as individuals or collect items as a group. For more information or to obtain a donation box for a group or department, call the Boiler Volunteer Network at (765) 496-2450 or e-mail bvn@purdue.edu.

Individuals and groups may drop off their final donations on the west side of Stewart Center from noon to 7 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21 and from 9-11 a.m. Nov. 22.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University students moving out at the end of this semester will have the chance to donate usable items to the eighth annual Project Move Out, which will distribute items to needy families in the area.

The event, sponsored by the Boiler Volunteer Network, will collect goods between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday (May 2-3) in the Purdue Armory.

Also, student volunteers will be out in West Lafayette’s New Chauncey neighborhood from 1-4 p.m. Saturday (May 3) to gather donations of usable household items that are left curbside for the collection and pick up trash throughout the area. Purdue Physical Facilities donated the use of four trucks for the event.

Students can donate items such as clothing, shoes, cleaning supplies, electronics, books, furniture, laundry soap, winter coats and luggage, said Harry Brown, assistant dean of students and director of the Boiler Volunteer Network.

Then, from 1-4 p.m. Sunday (May 4), low-income community members will have a chance to “shop” for free items they need.

For the first time, the Boiler Volunteer Network is working on Project Move Out with the Campus Community Partnership Committee, a group that serves to increase Purdue’s cooperation with and contributions to the surrounding community.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the program, and one-hour shifts are available, Brown said. To make arrangements or for information, contact the Boiler Volunteer Network at (765) 496-2450 or bvn@purdue.edu.