Kristen Clowers is rallying to create a Buddhist organization at UNO [University of Nebraska at Omaha]. The youth division at Soka Gakkai International (SGI-USA) is trying to make its organization official on campus to reach out to more people.

"It's a way to let people know that Buddhism is real and people practice it in everyday life." member Erika Schweikert said.

SGI-USA is an organization for people who practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. It has more than 12 million members in more than 190 countries and was started in Japan.

Kristen Clowers said they were trying to find a way to help support SGI-USA on their campus. If the group does become official, Clowers would be president.

She has been a Buddhist for the past five years. She started chanting one day with Schweikert, who was born Buddhist, and said she received lots of benefits from it.

Clowers said she was really depressed before she became Buddhist and felt like there was no hope in her life.

"It taught me not to feel guilty about what happens but to take responsibility and action," she said.

Clowers said they want to become official on campus because other students in different cities have already helped SGI-USA by becoming official on their campus.

They want to do on-campus lectures to provide information to people who want to know about Buddhism. Clowers said many people are going through a lot at this point in their lives and are searching for a religion.

"We want to discuss philosophy, learn about other religions and have people learn about ours." Schweikert says.

For an organization to become official it must have a constitution. The outline for the constitution comes in a packet with other information about hazing, officer update and promotional material.

"A constitution helps the group establish a purpose," said Elizabeth Kraemer, president of Student Government.

Kraemer said some of the benefits of being official are the locker space, office space and arts and crafts room. She said there are endless possibilities to put up posters and flyers to recruit members.

Members of the Student Organizations and Leadership Programs, Student Government and the rules committee will review the groups' constitution. The process can take a month and a half or longer. Chair of the Rules Committee Aaron Gilliland makes the final decision to pass a group.

"It's a lot harder than I thought. The constitution is so much more detailed than other colleges," Clowers says. "It makes you think deeply about what you're doing."

Clowers looked over constitutions from other colleges and thought that UNO's was much more detailed.

She said the group is still trying to decide on a name and hopes to have its constitution done by the end of the year. She is expecting a slow, but good, turnout.

---

Source: The Gateway, UNO's Student Newspaper