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Show The Thunderbird Monday, April 9, 1984 Page Riley uses family and leadership to improve by Daumnielle DeBusk Stuart Rileys apartment at Manzanita could be mistaken for a bus depot or a local hangout. People of all personalities run in and out of the cozily cluttered rooms. There is a lot of jokes, and laughter. Riley stands in the kitchen clad in white longjohns and red tattered shorts. While sitting in the TV room, Riley gazes at his g apartment door and asks, Is it possible to mention my parents names in this article? Thats Leroy and Maryanne Riley. Riley, a native resident of Port Sulphur, Louisiana, has recieved abundant encouragement and positive input from his parents. I come from an educated family background, says Riley. His mother holds a B.A. and masters degree, and both his parents have prestigious titles in the community. My parent have always been active in the community, both politically and in the Catholic A back-slappin- ever-openin- A I 'S'- x A church. Riley comes from a big family of children who were taught by their parents to be leaders and not $ 7 a man doesnt have any challenges , he doesnt amount to anything . followers and were expected to use their qualities. I have always been politically minded, says the newly-electe- d Arts and Letters Senator. But all the encouragement helped. When Riley decided to run as a nominee for Arts and Letters Senator, his parents encouraged him, saying that he had leadership ability and owed these qualities to his school. Another driving force during the campaign were the words of his father, Son, if a man doesnt have any challenges, he doesnt amount to anything. With those words and support of his friends from the political science department, Riley proceeded to meet the challenge and succeed. Riley speaks with enthusiasm about his future position in the student senate. We can make the student senate better because we are qualified and dedicated to this college, and the causes of its student body. Riley says that he thinks this was one of the most active campaigns, and he was glad to be involved in it. With a spark of admiration, he talks about his friendship with Scott Price and Steve Gordon who both won his support and gave Riley theirs. Over Spring Break, Riley returned home with a suitcase stuffed full of pamphlets from the Gold Party campaign which his mother urged him to bring home. One of the highlights of Rileys childhood was becoming an alter boy at the Catholic elementary school which he attended. It is not the end result, Riley believes, but the hard work involved in reaching a goal which makes it so satisfying. Im basically a country boy, says Riley, Louisiana shining in his eyes. I enjoy fishing and hunting. He also likes the domestic hobbies of reading and writing. I write essays on life, like how a small town boy adapts to Utah and its people, Riley says. Life in Rileys future involves politics. He hopes to start at the Plaguemines parish in local government, and move into state senate. His big goal is becomine the Governor of Louisiana. As a young child, I knew education would help improve myself and better my community, explains Riley. I plan to come back from southern Utah and serve the people of Port Sulphur. Riley came to SUSC to pursue a career in political science. I came here very interested in my major, Riley says. The people in the Behaviorial and Social Science department are really fun. And the teachers Ive met like Craig Jones and Rodney Decker are great. One of the biggest accomplishments which Riley has seen is the formation of the Black Student Union. During spring of 83, there was some vandalism with racism at the core of the damage. Violence was done to the cars of Will James and Curtis Owens, alias Cadillac, he said. With the help and guidance of Bonnie Mitchell, Center Director, the BSU was formed. She exposed them to new ideas, Riley said. It was the first time all the black guys stood united behind one cause. At this time that cau;p was the need for a club. In Rileys eyes, the biggest accomplishment for the BSU was havng Martin Luther King III as a Convocation speaker. Martin Luther King III is a The Golden dynamic man. Wc (the BSU) took King Corral, Riley says. King spoke about unification. He stressed that the issue is not the black versus white issue, but the human issue. Rilev says that hes grown personally through Multi-Cultur- n experiences in the BSU club, the new advances, and he predicts growth in the SUSC senate. Riley explains, The BSU is a really new club, but our ideas have improved a lot. We stress education, participation, and cultural awareness to the community. This is more than an educational experience at SUSC; it is an experience I will always remember, Riley says. Riley came to SUSC on a football scholarship. The football coach brought him to the Behavioral and Social Science Department. Being a freshman in a new town, Riley was confused. Professor Craig Jones introduced himself and offered a helping hand. We talked about goals. I had just attended a major university in Louisiana and I was new and nervous. When he invited me over to his house for lunch, it was a real eye opener. But I turned down the offer, Riley recalls. The teachers at SUSC are ready to take the students in, Riley says, and that student-teache- r ratio is a real eye opener about this college. What really turned me around was my involvement with my anthropology minor and Professor Richard A. Thompson, says Riley. In fact, at one point, my grades were slipping and Thompson threatened to call Rileys GPA my parents if my GPA didnt improve. improved. Yes, Ive really had a good experience at SUSC with my involvement with the Multi-CulturCenter, says Riley, I will be proud to receive a degree from SUSC. al 7 |