Out-of-state students formally known as the Cali Club came together in Dent Hall, planning to make their mark and impact on the Dillard University campus. The club president started off the meeting with a word of prayer by one of the members, Thursday evening, Oct. 26.

            The club president, Latoya Roberson, who is a senior psychology major, said that she expects all of the members of the Cali Club to be heavily involved in the community as well as Dillard University.

            “The overall goal of the Cali Club is to make a difference in the local and Dillard community,” said Roberson. She wants California students to be recognized as accommodating, fun and educated scholars.

            Approximately 20 students, the majority being females, along with six males, filled quietly and collectively in a small capacity room in Dent Hall to become informed about the status of the club.

Furthermore, Roberson told all the members of the Cali Club that they are required to pay dues of $10, which need to be submitted by Nov. 9, and participate in the upcoming events that the organization will host. She went on to say it is going to take a group effort for the organization to be a success.

“More people need to be involved and interject their ideas and opinions,” said Amber Wilson, the public relations director of the Cali Club”. Wilson is mainly responsible for promoting the organization and creating advertising flyers and posting them around the campus. Also, members are suggested to make the effort to recruit more California students to join because they are high in volume and the more members the better, according to Wilson.

During the meeting, all in attendance seemed interested even though Roberson had the floor the majority of the time. When others in attendance were asked for their opinions, they remained mute.

Roberson constantly asked members for their opinions after she spit out random ideas such as the logo of the club’s T- Shirts and possible ideas for upcoming events. Momentarily the room was livened when a short male who was slouching in his seat suddenly broke the silence by shouting, “the club’s color should be red,” which sparked a brief murmur of side comments amongst the members.

In addition, Roberson made it clear that involvement within the community was very important because it is a way to gain recognition. She explained that the first community service project was going to be a donation of school supplies to local schools. She also mentioned the donation of clothing to local churches because the church could help distribute the materials to the proper recipients.

Moreover, the Cali Club is going to be active throughout November. Roberson said that there will be a step show of all on-campus organizations on Nov. 15, and she wants a few members of the Cali Club to represent the golden state.

Towards the end of November after Thanksgiving, the organization will be hosting a Madden 2007/ Halo tournament. The club also will be hosting a poetry function where students can relax, have fun and express their creative personalities through poetry and other art, according to Roberson.

“During the school year, we need fundraisers in order to earn money so we can have sufficient funds so we can host a lot of fun activities,” said Roberson.

According to, Lanisha Davis, a sophomore nursing major and the organization’s treasure secretary, “The club is a good way for everybody from California to get along and develop friendships instead of conflicting with each other because of the differences between northern and southern California.”

The Cali Club president, Latoya Roberson, concluded the lengthy meeting by notifying everyone to stay up-to-date with the club’s agenda via email at [email protected]. After a short moment of prayer, everyone cleared Dent Hall one by one and briefly mingled outside.