Students seek Oromo organization

Anya Vaverko

Issue date: 11/12/07

SCSU Oromo students are looking to form a student organization on campus to support each other and to share their culture with the community.

The Oromo make up a large portion of the population in the Horn of Africa.

According to the U.S. State Department, in Ethiopia alone, Oromo people constitute more than 40 million of the country's 77 million inhabitants.

Though they are the numerical majority in the country, Oromo people face discrimination and experience dire human rights abuses there.

Minnesota has the largest community of Oromo people in the United States.

According to Minnesota Public Radio, "They have established a base camp of sorts (here) to speak out against abuses in a way they can't in their homeland," especially with the help of local groups like Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights.

Although much of Minnesota's Oromo population resides in Minneapolis, SCSU has, according to estimates by Oromo students themselves, around 20 to 30 Oromo people. This year, they are trying to create an Oromo student group on campus.

"We want to organize ourselves," said SCSU student Yohannis Dalla. "We want to do something helpful in the campus area. We want to have a student advisor, a club, and we want to motivate our students. We want to know what we can do at this school to help our kids."

Though they spoke passionately about issues in their home countries, Oromo students emphasized that their organization's focus would not be political, but cultural. They are particularly motivated by wanting to help incoming Oromo students.

"We are trying to help them," said Kajela Gelgelu Tona, referring to new students.

He came to SCSU for the first time in 2002.

"When I came here, I struggled a lot. I had to learn the hard way," he said.

Tona said things that seem obvious to students who are used to SCSU, like how meal plans work or how to check an SCSU e-mail account, can be confusing to students who are coming here for the first time.

Through an Oromo student organization, older students can befriend and advise new students.

"My primary objective is to create an Oromo student organization here in campus so we all can come together on a daily basis and assist each other. Also, we would like to assist currently enrolled Oromo students in high school to encourage them to continue to higher education," Mohamed Abdullahi said.

A cultural organization would also be a way for current students to get to know each other.

"If we create something, everyone can come to the center. So we need to create that center, but not in a political or religious way. We want to help each other with our needs, like education, and have fun," Dalla said.

He said he met several other Oromo students at SCSU for the first time at a preliminary meeting last week.

The organization would also serve the purpose of culture sharing with the SCSU community.

"Whoever wants to know about us, I am really happy to explain who I am and to give other resources," Dalla said.

The students looked forward to performing traditional dances at Africa Night and other cultural activities.

Though Oromo students have tried to organize in the past, they did not have enough members and cooperation to make it happen.

This year, however, they are optimistic and actively working on creating the organization. They have already begun meeting and searching for an adviser.

University Chronicle