IN THIS ISSUE: Bears Back Haiti, Disability Services Partners with Faculty, "Recyclemania!", and more...
The Student Affairs Focus - Spring 2010
Bears Back Haiti with Impressive Fundraising Initiative
The Office of Student Engagement invited student leaders to a meeting to discuss a campus response to the earthquake in Haiti – what came out of that meeting was nothing short of amazing! “Bears Backing Haiti: 50 in 50” was conducted for 50 hours from Jan. 19-21, with the goal of raising $50,000 to aid Springfield-based Convoy of Hope in their disaster relief efforts in Haiti. The campaign ran from 6:00 p.m. Jan. 19 through 8:00 p.m. Jan. 21 in front of the student union, and utilized volunteers on campus with buckets to collect donations. The campaign concluded at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday evening with a Candle Light Vigil and presentation of a check to Convoy of Hope.
Missouri State students presented Convoy of Hope a check for $34,000 and an I.O.U. for $16,000 - but these numbers only tell part of the story:
- Over 200 different students volunteered a total of over 1,100 hours in less than 3 days!
- Between 1/2 and 1/3 of the students who volunteered were not involved in a student organization on campus but were moved to help!
- We had 4 donors give $1,000 or more to the cause.
- We had over 10 $500 gifts, including one from a student organization on campus.
- We raised over $2,500 in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters – every cent people gave truly added up (and needed rolled up).
- Sodexo Campus Dining Services donated meals, snacks, and drinks for 50 straight hours for each volunteer.
- Domino’s Pizza provided pizza for volunteers.
- Krispy Krème provide donuts and coffee at midnight each night for volunteers.
- We had between 20-40 volunteers at every over night shift (even when it was 30 and rainy).
- This whole event was coordinated and planned in 8 hours on a Friday going into a holiday weekend.
- The very next day after we concluded the 50 in 50 campaign, we were approached by McDonald's and were provided the opportunity to collect donations at their drive up window for two straight days the next week. We had an additional 100 students volunteer over 400 hours the next three days bringing in an additional $,5100
- As of February 10, 2010 Bears Backing Haiti has raised over $41,000. With many initiatives planned over the next month, their hope is to pay off the remaining $9,000 I.O.U. After the $50,000 has been raised - they will move into planning an Alternative Spring Break Trip to Haiti in 2011.
For more information about the Bears Backing Haiti initiative, please contact the Office of Student Engagement at (417) 836-4386.
A Word from the Vice President
In this issue you will read about the amazing effort our students have demonstrated in responding to the earthquake in Haiti. And, that effort is continuing! What a great demonstration of how our students put into action the Public Affairs Mission of Missouri State University. It is also important to recognize the exceptional support provided by Student Affairs professionals in this effort. A special “shout out” should go to Jeremy Schenk, our Director of Student Engagement!
You will also read about some of the continuing efforts to address sustainability. The annual Public Affairs Theme from last year was taken very seriously by Student Affairs and that emphasis will not end. The updating from Campus Recreation can be viewed as part of the excitement and demonstration of the need for a new recreation facility. The RFP for the new recreation center is “on the streets!” We were excited to see a room full of interested contractors at the pre-bid meeting held on February 26. There is great anticipation as we await the bid date of March 16.
Please also note in this issue the great partnership that is happening with Disability Services and the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. Student Affairs continues to help make Missouri State University a great place to live, learn and grow for all of our students.
Have a great spring break!
Earle Doman
College Town Profile
Recently, the Division of Student Affairs partnered with The Community Profile Network to develop an exciting and informative publication about the people and services located within our area. Click on the link below to view the online version of Missouri State University's "College Town Profile:"
Bears Backing Haiti: An Opportunity for Student Engagement
There were a few skeptical voices scattered among the amazing efforts and results realized during the Bears Backing Haiti: 50 in 50 campaign. It was reported to me that several members of the University community expressed their wish that the students had not set the fundraising goal so high because it would not be as newsworthy or positive when they did not succeed in attaining their goal. However, my impression from attending the planning meetings is that it was never a consideration to gain PR for themselves or for the University. The students saw a very real need to take action to save lives in a decimated island country. Secondly, the opinion was voiced by a few people on campus as well as by a few national figures that we should not be engaged in providing help for Haiti when there was so much assistance needed here among our own citizens. This sentiment is based on the proposition that the two efforts are mutually exclusive and that we either help our own or we help people in need beyond our borders: we cannot do both.
In my interactions with the student leaders and volunteers of Bears Backing Haiti, I have seen the purest of motivations. These are not students who relish only having a few hours of sleep among the 50 hours of the campaign. It certainly
pained some of the volunteers to be less prepared for a test or to give less time to a paper because of their fundraising activities. As for the lofty goal of raising $50,000, I am reminded that the purpose of setting a higher goal is to push oneself or one’s organization to new heights, whether it is the high jump, or learning, or in this case, fundraising. While the goal of $50,000 has not yet been reached, far more money has been raised than would have resulted from an easily attainable goal. The students are committed to achieving the goal and then continuing to raise funds. They know that the recovery of Haiti will be a lengthy process and that the goal must be to help the country attain economic stability rather than to merely return it to the impoverished state that existed before the earthquake.
What have the students learned from this ongoing experience? There would probably be many different responses, reflecting varying levels of understanding and experience. I think we would likely hear that students learned more about the country of Haiti geographically, politically, historically, and economically than they would have from passive observations of video clips and news articles. I believe that the students gained an appreciation for the power and influence that they can generate collectively when they come together for a common purpose. Bears Backing Haiti was also a laboratory for the emergence of both elected and ad hoc leadership as both forms played critical roles during the campaign. Finally, I believe that many students learned that “student engagement” is not merely an office name or a philosophical construct. Student engagement is an effective learning behavior that can be experienced and nourished.
Submitted by: Mike Jungers, Associate Dean of Students
Campus Recreation Offers Opportunities for Employees
Did you know? Missouri State University full-time faculty and staff may use their $150 NON-CREDIT COURSE FEE WAIVER EMPLOYEE BENEFIT to participate in the following Campus Recreation Fitness/Wellness activities. Click on Register Now! at www.missouristate.edu/recreation. Go to the Fitness/Wellness section. Be sure to print off the Non-Credit Course Fee Waiver and submit to Campus Recreation by the deadline date.
Ballroom Dance (Sun)
Starts March 21 (no 4/4), 6:30-8PM. Register by 3/19.
Belly Dance (Mon)
Starts March 22, 5-6:30PM. Register by 3/18.
Latin Dance (Thurs)
Starts March 25 (no 4/1), 7:30-8:30PM. Register by 3/23.
Mat Pilates (Wed)
Starts March 22 (Mon only-no 3/31), 5:15-6:15PM. Register by 3/18.
Starts March 24 (Wed only-no 3/31), 5:15-6:15PM. Register by 3/22.
Starts March 22 (no 3/31) (Mon/Wed). Register by 3/18.
Power Yoga
Starts March 22 (Mon-Downtown, no 3/29, 12-12:50PM. Register by 3/18.
Starts March 23 (Tues-noon). Register by 3/19.
Starts March 24 (Wed, no 3/31), 12-12:50PM. Register by 3/22.
Starts March 25 (Thur, no 4/1), 12-12:50PM. Register by 3/23.
Swing Dance (Thurs)
Starts March 25 (no 4/1), 6:30-7:30PM. Register by 3/23.
Tai Chi (Mon)
Starts March 22, 7:30-8:30PM. Register by 3/18.
Water Aerobics (Mon/Wed)
Starts March 22 (no 3/31), 12-12:50PM. Register by 3/18.
Yoga
Starts March 24 (Wed, no 3/31), 6-7:30PM. Register by 3/22.
Starts March 25 (Thur, no 4/1), 6-7:30PM. Register by 3/23.
Zumba
Starts March 23 (Tues), 5:30-6:30PM. Register by 3/19.
Starts March 25 (Thur-Downtown, no 4/1), 5:30-6:30PM. Register by 3/23.
Additional faculty/staff benefits:
Free! Register online with Human Resources at www.missouristate.edu/human/training/safety.htm
American Red Cross CPR & First Aid Certification
Starts March 17. Register by 3/15.
Starts April 15. Register by 4/13.
Starts May 19. Register by 5/17.
SHARP – Self Defense for Women (Wed/Thurs)
Starts February 22 & 23 only. Register by 2/22.
March 15 & 16 only. Register by 3/15.
Submitted by Cindi Barnett, Director of Campus Recreation.
Disability Services Partners with Faculty, Promotes Awareness
The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) and Disability Services are collaborating this semester to host a book series on disability. As we read and discuss the book, DISABILITY: The social, political, and ethical debate, members of our campus community are learning together about the history, culture, and contemporary issues surrounding disability. Disability Services staff is providing supplemental information for the program. The FCTL has also developed a website of this information for faculty to utilize when teaching their classes about disability. Through this program our cultural competency surrounding disability issues should be further enhanced.
If you are interested in the book series, there is still space available. Please contact the FCTL for further information at 417-836-3059, or via email at fctl@missouristate.edu.
Submitted by Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, Director of Disability Services
http://www.missouristate.edu/fctl/78137.htm
Staff Development and Recognition
The Office of Admissions would like to congratulate staff member Emily Trammell on a recent article publication in Missouri State's Logos: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her article, "Forgiving Self: The Role of Imagined Interaction in Forgiveness," is published in the Fall 2009 issue. Emily works as an admission counselor serving central and northeast Missouri.
The Counseling and Testing Center would also like to congratulate staff member Tammy Tindle for recently winning the Excellence in Community Service Award from Missouri State University. The award recognizes demonstrated personal action to service community causes, a significant and sustained record of volunteer service and significant contributions to improve the quality of community life. The winners received a personalized plaque and a $600 cash award from the Missouri State University Foundation. The recognition was part of the Missouri State University Staff Service Award Program.
Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, Director of Disability Services, has recently been selected to sit on the AHEAD Disability Policy Advisory Committee. AHEAD stands for the Association on Higher Education and Disability, and the advisory committee is comprised of only 5 professional members from throughout the nation. This committee will review AHEAD members’ comments and contributions regarding policies for the field, identify best practices, and post recommendations on www.ahead.org.. Topic contributions will be supplemented by "guiding questions" that can be referred to, along with the compiled member input, when reviewing or writing a policy on the particular topic.
Assistant Director of Disability Services, Tabitha Haynes, was also recognized recently when she was elected as Vice President of MOAHEAD - the Missouri Affiliate of the Association on Higher Education and Disability. In this role, she will continue to promote positive change at public and private institutions throughout the region. Tabitha is also involved with a number of other campus or local groups, such as the Staff Senate and the community's Victim Center.
Recyclemania!
Missouri State is once again participating in the nation-wide recycling competition, Recyclemania. The goal of the program is to increase recycling awareness and promote waste reduction at colleges and universities across the country. An exciting change this year is that we are competing as an entire campus. In addition to the permanent recycling receptacles in the residence halls and Plaster Student Union, there are temporary receptacles in several of the academic and administrative buildings. The competition runs from January 17-March 27, 2010. For more information visit http://reslife.missouristate.edu/fac/RecycleManiacs.htm.
Submitted by Teresa Frederick, Coordinator - Facilities and Operations
Contact:
For questions, comments, or future submissions related to The Student Affairs Focus, please contact Andrew Crain, graduate assistant in the Office of Student Affairs.