The same HUB-Robeson Center floor filled with villagers' sleeping bags in April will soon be home to a national conference and rally sponsored by villagers and other campus groups from Sept. 14 to 16.

The Penn State Black Caucus announced plans for the event at a press conference yesterday.

Students from universities across the country are invited to participate in the event, entitled "Justice Now More than Ever."

The conference and rally, co-sponsored by the Lambda Student Alliance, will focus on denouncing all forms of intolerance and hate.

Jennifer Storm, political co-director for the Lambda Student Alliance, stressed the importance of campus groups uniting to fight against racism, classism, sexism and homophobia. "We're all fighting for the same common purpose, which is social justice," Storm said.

In addition to a march and rally, the weekend-long event will feature a myriad of workshops, entertainment and nationally known guest speakers. Among those scheduled to speak are Jesse Jackson, Poet Laureate Sonya Sanchez, Jeffrey Johnson, NAACP national youth spokesman, and the mother of murdered gay student Matthew Shepard.

Students interested in participating in the event are asked to pay a $10 registration fee; however, no one will be turned away if they cannot afford the donation.

"I want to urge all students to be involved in this rally," Storm said. "Justice — we need this now more than ever."

Many students who participated in last semester's sit-in said they are encouraged by the positive results that continue to come from the efforts of the Village. The Village, a peaceful sit-in at the HUB-Robeson Center, evolved from a university-planned unity march last April.

Amanda Slade, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, thinks the ideals of the Village have been gaining strength even over the summer.

She also added that many participants in the Village stayed on campus during the summer to develop the vision of a unified student body.

The Black Caucus said in a June press release that the Village, although no longer occupying the HUB-Robeson Center, still existed and looked forward to new objectives and goals, both long-term and short-term.

"I think it's going to continue until positive results are achieved, but even after they're achieved, it's not going to die," Slade said.