Campus Connection

A conference organized by a UW-L student group seeks to bridge the gap between Hmong children and their parents. The conference, organized by the UW-L student group Hmong Organization Promoting Education, will be from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at UW-L’s Cleary Alumni & Friends Center. Sessions will focus on issues in the Hmong community such as interracial dating, which some Hmong parents with traditional views do not approve of, says Jason Yang, UW-L junior and president of HOPE. “We are hosting this conference so we are the first stepping stone toward having these conversations at home,” he says. The conference also aims to promote literacy among young people in the Hmong community. A book drive for gently used children’s books for kids from birth to fifth grade runs through Wednesday, Nov. 16, at various locations on the UW-L campus and at the Hmong Cultural and Community Center, 1816 Ward Ave. S., La Crosse. Book donations will be distributed to Hmong families at the conference. “HOPE is an organization that promotes education for the community and we want to get the word out there that reading is important, and children having these resources at home is beneficial,” says Phanat Lor, UW-L graduate student and member of HOPE. All are invited to attend the conference. It is geared toward high school and college students and their parents within the Hmong community. UW-L Campus drop-off locations for book drive: Student Support Services, 2131 Centennial Hall; Office of Multicultural Student Services, 1101 Centennial Hall; or McNair Office, 106 Graff Main Hall. Also, books can be dropped off at the box on the trapezoid table in the Murphy Library lobby Monday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Nov. 11. If you go— What: Book Drive Where: Hmong Cultural and Community Center, 1816 Ward Ave. S., La Crosse and various locations on the UW-L campus. When: Now through Wednesday, Nov. 16