Contact: Erika L. Forsythe (304) 766-3363 eforsythe@wvstateu.edu
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University (WVSU) Chapter of the NAACP has received a national award for the largest membership increase among college chapters in the organization.
The WVSU Chapter received the 2013 Chairman’s Trophy at the 104th annual NAACP Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July.
Charity Hightower, an elementary education major at WVSU, is president of the student chapter and said that the group has grown from six members to nearly 40 members in the past two years.
“We have become a pretty well-known group on campus,” Hightower said. “We have become involved with a lot of community service projects both on and off campus and I think that appeals to a lot of our members.” Oree Banks, associate professor of Health and Human Performance, has served as the faculty advisor to the WVSU Chapter for 30 years, and said that he was “surprised and humbled” to receive the national recognition.
“This really speaks to the students at West Virginia State, and I think it is a fantastic recognition of them and their work,” Banks said. “I have been very pleased with the growth we have seen in the chapter lately. It is gratifying to see more students participating.”
In receiving the award, the WVSU NAACP Chapter received a large trophy that will be put on public display at the James C. Wilson University Union.
Hightower said that she hopes many of the new freshmen attending WVSU this fall see the trophy and become part of the student chapter.
“We know we have a lot of new freshmen and we are hoping for another good year,” Hightower said. “Each year we try to grow.”
The WVSU Chapter of the NAACP meets every Friday at 11 a.m. in the Wilson University Union in room 128. For more information, contact Hightower at , or Banks at or (304) 766-3231.