News

Students will help build home

9/22/2007

By MICAH MERTES
Hays Daily News

Tigers in Service, the student volunteer organization of Fort Hays State University, is going to help build a house in Greensburg, and it's looking for volunteers.

The group's new program, Super Green, will be dedicated to sending regular disaster relief to the Kansas town that was devastated by a tornado in early May.

"A lot of people had been contacting us about wanting to go and help in Greensburg," said Rindi Zimmerman, assistant director of Tigers is Service. "So we're starting a project that we can do for years to come. We're going to continue this project until Greensburg doesn't need help anymore."

The team of volunteers who attend will be assigned to a family whose house was destroyed. The volunteers will visit the town regularly, weekends at a time, and help in the construction.

The group will leave for its first trip at 7 a.m. Saturday morning and work until Sunday afternoon. On Saturday night, volunteers will camp out in tents. There still are a handful of spots available for the first trip. Volunteers will need to have proof of insurance and a current tetanus shot. If interested, stop by the Tigers In Service office (Picken Hall, Room 201) to sign up and receive further information. Volunteers will take a school vehicle, and all meals will be provided. Those going are asked to make a $5 donation, if possible, to help with expenses. Deadline for the September trip is Tuesday.

Other planned dates are scheduled for Oct. 12 to 14, Oct. 27 and Nov. 16 to 18.

Micah Mertes is a reporter for The Hays Daily News and director of The Stir. He can be reached at (785) 621-4515 or micah@thestironline.com.

Kansas Campus Compact and FHSU Service-Learning Committee Schedule Workshop

HAYS, Kan. – The Kansas Campus Compact and Fort Hays State University’s Service-Learning committee have scheduled a service-learning workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the Stouffer Lounge in FHSU’s Memorial Union.

The workshop will cover service-learning basics, but will also provide one-on-one consultation to faculty who are interested in developing a service-learning project for their respective course.

The workshop is free of charge and is open to Kansas institutions and all faculty, staff, and students of FHSU. Speakers include Mary Marston, executive director of the KCC, and members of the Service-Learning committee.

For more information, contact Jill Arensdorf, Service-Learning Coordinator, at
(785) 628-5562 or jrarensdorf@fhsu.edu.

FHSU listed on President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

12/08/06, local, area, Today, Key

HAYS, Kan. – Constant efforts to provide students with opportunities to give back to the community recently paid-off for Fort Hays State University when it was named on the President George W. Bush’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

The honor roll is a recognition program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. It is designed to increase public awareness of the contributions that college students are making in their local communities and across the country through volunteer service. This year’s special emphasis is on recognizing service activities performed in response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005.

FHSU is one of six colleges and universities in Kansas to receive this honor. Other Kansas schools include Bethel College in North Newton, Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth.

All accredited degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States were eligible to apply based on student service that took place during the 2005-2006 academic year.

All colleges and universities listed on the honor roll were selected based on three main criteria: the level of student participation in service activities; the dollar amount of funds raised and dollar value of material support provided for hurricane relief; and the level of effort, innovativeness and effectiveness of service projects.

“This is a huge honor for the university as a whole and for each of its service-based programs,” said Dr. Curt Brungardt, director of FHSU’s Center for Civic Leadership.

The CCL houses several of these service-based programs, including Tigers in Service, a program matching students with volunteer opportunities on and off campus; the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy, instilling leadership skills in Kansas youth; the American Democracy Project, seekingto increase the number of undergraduate students who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful civic actions; LEAD, providing leadership training and development activities for FHSU students and communities throughout the state of Kansas; and Service-Learning, involving students in projects outside of the classroom to enhance their learning and growth while simultaneously benefiting the community.

For more information, contact Brungardt at (785) 628-5592 or cbrungar@fhsu.edu.

Ben Franklin Papers to display at Encore Series Performance

“Ben Franklin Papers,” an exhibit featuring two original hand written letters by Benjamin Franklin, will be on display from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 28 and 29 in the lobby area of Sheridan Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus. The exhibit will be on display during both nights of the Encore Series production of Stomp.

The exhibit will also feature two copies of Franklin’s newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette.

The letters and papers were donated to Forsyth Library by FHSU alumnus, Dr. Cecil B. Currey. The letters have an appraised value of $25,000 and $35,000, respectively.

The exhibit was recently on display at FHSU’s Gross Memorial Coliseum for nearly 600 Ellis County fifth- and- eighth grade students in conjunction with their current revolutionary history unit. The event was hosted by the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL) with assistance from the College of Education and Technology, the Office of the Provost, the American Democracy Project (ADP), the Department of History, Forsyth Library and several other entities across the campus. The program consisted of interactive stations and supplemental activities created by FHSU’s teacher education students.

“Displaying the documents during the Encore performance will give patrons a convenient opportunity to view the papers while helping to spread awareness about our exhibit,” said Mark Colwell, assistant director of the American Democracy Project.

FHSU’s teacher education students and volunteers from CCL and Forsyth Library will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the project and materials created for the event.

For more information, contact Colwell, at mecolwell@fhsu.edu or (785) 628-4668.

KYLA Announces Spring Seminar Dates and Locations

The Kansas Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA) will host three middle school and three high school leadership seminars beginning in January. The seminars give students the opportunity to interact with students from other schools while they participate in hands-on leadership applications. In the spring, both the middle and high school seminars will be held on the same day with the exception of the seminars held in Lawrence, KS.

The dates and locations of the seminars are as follows: Lawrence Middle School Seminar- January 23, 2007 at the University of Kansas, Lawrence High School Seminar- January 24, 2007 at the University of Kansas, Garden City Seminars-January 31, 2007 at Garden City Community College, and Salina Seminars-February 7, 2007 at the Bicentennial Center. To register for the seminars visit the KYLA website at www.fhsu.edu/kyla/ or call (785) 628-5399.

	Monopoly Tournament
MCDONALD’S ® PARTNERED WITH FHSU LEADERSHIP STUDENTS AND HAYS HIGH SCHOOL DECA STUDENTS TO HOST OFFICIAL MONOPOLY ® GAME TOURNAMENT   PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSES ® OF WICHITA (HAYS)-McDonald’s ® Restaurants in Hays along with FHSU Leadership Students and Hays High School DECA students will host a local Monopoly ® Game Tournament on October 28, 2006, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the NorthHays McDonald’s Restaurant, 3406 Vine Street. Proceeds from the tournament sponsorships will benefit the Ronald McDonald Houses ® located in Wichita to support the Adopt-A-Family Program. The Adopt-A-Family Program is designed for families that can’t afford the $15.00 nightly fee. Through collection of pop tabs, the families are able to stay at the Houses free of charge. No family is ever turned down if they are not able to pay. The students hope to raise over $2,000 in donations through business sponsorships of this daylong competition. According to Tournament Director Shannon Ellenberger, a FHSU student, “Anyone interested in putting their real estate trading skills against other top players while helping out a worthy cause should visit www.mckansas.com/hays to register online or registration forms are available at both Hays McDonald’s locations.” The cost for a seat at the tournament is $40.00 per team. A team can consist of 1-4 players. “We thought the team concept would accommodate students. This way they can divide the time between teammates. But then they also have to share the prize.” states Laura Stroup, HHS DECA student. The grand prize is a $1,000 cash prize to be presented to the individual or team with the most money at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the tournament. Official Monopoly rules will be followed. Taxes will be the responsibility of the winner(s). The MONOPOLY game, the worlds most popular proprietary board game, is licensed in more than 80 countries and printed in more than 26 languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, German, Dutch, Flemish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Catalan, and Hebrew. Since it fist went on the market in 1935, over 200 million MONOPLY games have been sold worldwide and is now played by an estimated 250 million people. FHSU Leadership 310 students engage in collaborative projects that involve the implementation and practice of civic leadership in the Hays area. The students are encouraged to be life-long learners and advocates for social change. DECA, an association of marketing students at Hays High School, is a class that enhances the co-curricular education of students with interest in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA helps students to develop skills and competence for marketing careers, to build self-esteem, to experience leadership and to practice community service. DECA is committed to the advocacy of marketing education and the growth of business/education partnerships. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Deana Rupp, McDonald’s, at 625-4114 or Shaina Prough, HHS DECA, at 623-2600.
Collection of pop tabs to help Ronald McDonald Houses ® of Whichita
(HAYS)- The monthly letter sent out by Ronald McDonald Houses ® of Wichita says, “Imagine that you are miles away from home, and your child is sick-very sick. For many parents Ronald McDonald Houses are a comfortable, friendly place to rest their racing minds and heavy hearts. They are a soothing, predictable haven in the middle of an otherwise strange and stress-filled environment.” Students from Fort Hays State University’s Leadership 310 class and Hays High School’s DECA program are joining in a collaborative effort to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald Houses of Wichita. As you travel around Hays you will see cardboard Ronald McDonald houses and Culligan water bottles that are designated collection points. Collection of the pop tabs goes to the Ronald McDonald Houses of Wichita to support the Adopt-A-Family Program. The Adopt-A-Family Program is designed for families that can’t afford the $15 nightly fee. Through collection of pop tabs, the families are able to stay at the Houses free of charge. No family is ever turned down if they are not able to pay. Jenny Walter, Hays High School DECA member states, “We’ve been collecting pop tabs for seven years, but this is the first time we’ve attempted a community wide project.” Mandy Misner of FHSU, “I chose to do this Leadership 310 project, because my family utilized the family room while I was sick and in the hospital in Wichita and I wanted to give back.” Operating theses houses is very expensive. Since opening in 1983, costs have risen dramatically. Today the cost is approximately $90.00 per night. Yet the families are asked to pay only $15.00. The Sleepy Hollow House in Wichita, which is near Wesley Hospital, consistently has a 90% occupancy rate. The Midtown House near Via Christy maintains an 80% occupancy rate. Susan Smythe, Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald Houses in Wichita said that 44.3% of the families that use the Houses are on Medicaid. In 2006, 3,465 families have not been able to pay. That is approximately 60 to 70% of the families that use the houses. Since 1983, 629 families from Ellis County have used the Ronald McDonald Houses. The two student groups hope to collect one mile of pop tabs per month, which is 63,360 pop tabs or 50 lbs. To date over 400 million pop tabs have been collected worldwide. Community members can bring pop tabs to the two local McDonald’s or contact Tigers In Service @ (785) 628-5537 or Shaina Prough, HHS DECA @ (785) 623-2600. FHSU Leadership 310 students engage in collaborative projects that involve the implementation and practice of civic leadership in the Hays area. The students are encouraged to be life-long learners and advocates for social change. DECA, an association of marketing students at Hays High School, is a class that enhances the co-curricular education of students with interest in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA helps students to develop skills and competence for marketing careers, to build self-esteem, to experience leadership and to practice community service. DECA is committed to the advocacy of marketing education and the growth of business/education partnerships. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Deana Rupp, McDonald’s of Hays, 785-625-4144

4 th annual Campus Community Service fair sets record number of participating organizations

More than 50 community and campus organizations recently came together for the 4th annual Campus Community Service Fair on the Fort Hays State University campus. “We were very pleased with the turn-out,” said Jill Arensdorf, Service Learning Committee chair and instructor of leadership studies at FHSU. “This was our largest fair yet as far as the number of participating organizations.” The fair fosters campus-community partnerships by helping students to locate volunteer opportunities, giving organizations a chance to network with each other, and allowing faculty the chance to discover service-learning projects for their classes’ participation. The fair is traditionally held in FHSU’s Memorial Union – a prime spot for student and faculty gathering. Recently the Union went under construction, which posed a threat to the fair’s attendance. “In years past, students and faculty would stop-by after dining in the Union cafeteria,” said Arensdorf. “So we were a little worried about attendance this year since the cafeteria is closed. But a number of students and faculty made a special trip just for the fair and we were really happy with the turn-out. “ The fair was sponsored by FHSU’s Office of the Provost, Center for Civic Leadership, Tigers in Service and Service Learning Committee as well as the United Way of Ellis County.

Benjamin Franklin Papers Project

A new project this year, the American Democracy Project, Center for Civic Leadership, Provost’s Office, Forsyth Library, and Department of Teacher Education will sponsor fifth and eighth grade students from Hays, Ellis, and Victoria to view authentic letters and newspapers written by Benjamin Franklin. In addition, students will participate in Ben Franklin time related activities created by FHSU teacher education students and designed to meet curriculum requirements. Following the event, The Benjamin Franklin Papers will be on display in Sheridan Hall and later in Forsyth Library. The Benjamin Franklin letters were donated by Fort Hays State University Alum Dr. Cecil Currey who graduated in 1958.

KYLA Gains National Exposure in Time Magazine

In the August 7, 2006 issue of Time magazine, Lewis Toyota in Hays is featured and awarded for their contributions to young people through the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA). Lewis Toyota provided camp scholarships this summer for six middle and high school students. The article gives a brief description of KYLA and the summer camps and features a photograph with former KYLA director Kelley Kuhlmann, KYLA participants Elizabeth Rupp and Reid O’Brien, Lewis Toyota owner Jim Lewis, and his daughter Jamey Harms.

Kansas Youth Leadership Academy Hosts Annual Camps

The Kansas Youth Leadership Academy held its annual middle school camp from June 4-6 and high school camp from June 20-23 on the Fort Hays State University campus. Ninety-seven middle school and 96 high school students from across the state of Kansas gathered to learn about concepts such as teamwork, problem solving, diversity, communication, and citizenship. Campers participated in The Amazing Race II teamwork competition, interactive leadership sessions, and a community service project which included making blankets for the local nursing homes and hospitals. The students also received some relaxation time at the Hays Aquatic Park and a luau in Frontier Park.

Nex-Tech, Dessin Fournir Companies, Hays Storage Systems, The Hays Daily News, the Office of the Provost, Professional Rental Management, Office of the President, Midwest Energy, Lewis Automotive Groups, H & L Production, Wal*Mart, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and Insurance Planning Incorporated sponsored scholarships for students to attend camp, or gave monetary donations. Because of their generosity, many students were able to participate at camp.

Through the corporate partnership of McDonald’s owner-operators and their 148 restaurants, the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy has been able to impact the lives of youth, and develop future leaders through their seminars, specialized trainings, and camps.

Neighborhood, Big Creek, and Campus Clean-Up (2006)

On April 22, 2006, 114 volunteers took part in National Youth Service Day. This nationally recognized day of service was sponsored by Tigers In Service and the Student Government Association. The day began at Wal-Mart where volunteers collected school supplies from 9 a.m. to noon for Metairie Academy, a school in Louisiana that was affected by Hurricane Katrina. Among the volunteers at Wal-Mart were several public officials including Barbara Wasinger, City Commissioner; Rich Kraemer, school board member; and Kansas Representative Eber Phelps. At 9:30 a.m. a group of five student volunteers worked until 12 p.m. at Hays Good Samaritan and Alterra Sterling House washing windows at both facilities.

The Office of Student Affairs sponsored a barbeque at noon for the volunteers, who were asked to donate cleaning supplies to be shipped to various schools affected by the hurricanes along the gulf coast. The Office of the Provost provided t-shirts for each volunteer.

Alternative Spring Break Trip

Hurricane Relief Trip – March 18-26 in Port Arthur, TX. On March 18th, nineteen students and one faculty member headed out of Kansas on a fifteen hour drive to Port Arthur, TX to begin their alternative spring break sponsored by Tigers in Service. Once in Port Arthur, the volunteers helped with roofing, put up siding, install windows, and caulk the siding of three different Habitat for Humanity houses. These houses will benefit those affected by the hurricanes. Volunteers also went to Beaumont, TX to help re-roof a house that was damaged by Hurricane Rita. The group stayed in a church in Port Arthur along with volunteers from Kansas State University. The group began their trip home on Saturday, March 25th and returned to Hays on March 26th.

Both the winter break and spring break Hurricane Relief trips have been extremely successful. In New Orleans volunteers “cutted and gutted” houses to help prepare for the rebuilding process. In Port Arthur, volunteers were able to help with the actual building and rebuilding of homes. The success of the trips is not only based on the number of houses worked on, it is also measured by how each volunteer who participated was affected by the experience. While many Tigers in Service volunteers were affected in different ways, there is no doubt that most individuals who went on this trip will strive to be even more civically engaged individuals. As a result of the alternative break trips, there are three Tigers in Service

Franciscan Outreach - March 20-26 in Chicago, IL. Trying to beat the snowstorm heading towards Kansas, seven students left for their Alternative Spring Break to Chicago at 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 19 th. After arriving in Chicago, the volunteers worked with the Franciscan Outreach Association (F.O.A.), in their soup kitchen and homeless shelter. The group stayed on the third floor of F.O.A.’s Marquard Center which was where the soup kitchen was located. Seven other permanent volunteers also shared living quarters with the group. Each day, half of the group traveled 20 minutes to the homeless shelter while the other half stayed to volunteer at the soup kitchen. The volunteers helped prepare the meals,

Immigration Summit

The Sister Cities International Committee in Hays and the American Democracy Project on the campus of Fort Hays State University are partnering to present a summit and civic discussion on immigration issues in our country, state, and region. “Opening Doors While Securing Borders: Important Issues in a Democracy” will be held on Monday, April 10 at Commerce Bank, 718 Main St. in Hays.

The event will feature Melinda Lewis, director of policy advocacy and research at El Centro, Inc. in Kansas City. Not only will Ms. Lewis discuss immigration and its implications, she will also provide statistics and information regarding these issues. Following her presentation, participants will split into smaller groups to discuss questions and issues of immigration. The thoughts of each group will be compiled in a final report that is presented to the Sister Cities International organization.

If you would like more information or you would like to volunteer or participate in the event, please contact Mark Colwell by phone at 785-628-5592 or by e-mailing mecolwell@fhsu.edu.

Tigers in Service Offers Two Alternative Spring Breaks

Tigers in Service will be offering two alternative spring breaks for Fort Hays State University students. Seven student volunteers will spend their Spring Break helping the less fortunate in Chicago, Illinois March 20-26, 2006. Tigers in Service has teamed up with the Franciscan Outreach Association to help in their homeless shelter and soup kitchen. Their time will be spent doing meal preparation and various activities within the homeless shelter, including cleaning and laundry.

On Saturday, March 18, 23 Fort Hays students will set off for Port Arthur, TX to continue aiding in hurricane relief efforts. While the winter break trip involved “cutting and gutting” homes, this effort will mostly consist of actual rebuilding. Through Disciples Home Missions, Tigers in Service volunteers will be helping out during the organization’s Week of Compassion effort. They will be among 100 volunteers who will participate in work such as roofing houses, putting up dry wall, laying floors, moving belongings, and much more. Five days will be spent working, and volunteers will arrive back in Hays by March 26.

CCL Welcomes New Staff

The Center for Civic Leadership is excited about the newest additions to the CCL staff. The new CCL staff includes:

Mark Colwell- Assistant Director of American Democracy Project
Jennifer Rodriquez- Assistant Director of Tigers in Service
Drew Thomas- CCL Student Assistant

The new staff members are all looking forward to the upcoming semester and are ready to make a difference.

Tigers in Service Volunteers Spend Break Cleaning Up Katrina

On January 2, 2006, 12 Tigers In Service volunteers said goodbye to the normalcy of the rest of winter break and set off for New Orleans with a mission in mind: to help with the hurricane relief efforts. On January 3, we arrived at the Grace Disciples of Christ Church in Mandeville, LA, a short hour from New Orleans. Three days were spent “cutting and gutting” homes in the heart of one of the cities most drastically affected by Hurricane Katrina. Before home owners can even dream of rebuilding, their homes must first undergo the “cutting” process, which involves removing all the furniture and personal belongings that have been in the house since Katrina hit. Since the water levels rose up to the roofs of the houses, and stayed there for several days, all the items in the houses are extremely moldy, wet, and heavy. The next step is to completely “gut” the houses by taking out all the walls and ceilings, leaving only the wood structures to frame the houses. After the “cutting and gutting” process is complete, the home owners have hope for rebuilding.
Tigers In Service volunteers began the return trip home after completing the daunting task of stripping two homes. Volunteers were not only able to aid others by performing much needed physical labor while on this trip, but we also had the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from those who had escaped the hurricanes, lost friends and possessions in the tragedy, and who are now working towards the mounting goal of rebuilding. The owners saved anywhere from $6,000-12,000 of insurance money by having Tigers In Service volunteers “cut and gut” for them. While we saved a few people thousands of dollars, when we were in New Orleans, we learned that the greatest gift we gave was not the gift of physical labor, or even money; the greatest contribution we gave was hope. A bunch of college kids from Kansas caring enough to put their lives on hold to help others gives more hope to those who must live with the reality of the hurricanes than one could ever imagine. The people we encountered while in New Orleans have made permanent footprints on the hearts and lives of every volunteer who went on this relief trip. One specific image that comes to mind is that of a yard sign that was standing in the middle of all the destroyed homes, it read: “I am coming Home! I will rebuild. I am New Orleans.”

MLK Week of Action

On January 16-18, CampusUnited, along with Tigers in Service, hosted the 2006 MLK Week of Action. The week began with Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on January 16. Volunteers played bingo and gave manicures to the residents of Alterra Sterling House, helped clean 41 st Street in Hays, and delivered Meals on Wheels. Students, staff, faculty, and community members participated in a Commemorative Peace March on January 17 that began from three different locations on the Fort Hays State University Campus and converged at the Memorial Union. MLK Week of Action concluded on January 18 with a forum titled “In Your Face, Let’s Talk About Race,” which was facilitated by Dr. William Shanahan and the FHSU award-winning debate team.

Brungardts Present at Symposium in South Africa

Dr. Curt and Christie Brungardt presented at the International Symposium on Service-Learning at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Stellenbosch is located 50 km from Cape Town, South Africa. Stellenbosch University hosted the symposium in conjunction with the University of Indianapolis. Curt and Christie, along with Dr. Jeffrey Miller from the University of Indianapolis, presented, "Virtual Service Learning: Addressing Real Issues Through Civic Engagement and Distance Education." The symposium was held on November 20-22, 2005. The International Symposium on Service-Learning aims to bring international scholars, practitioners, and community leaders together to present their research, teaching, and community service experiences in the past/present, and to explore models for service-learning in the 21st century with the international, inter-disciplinary, and intercommunity frameworks. Curt and Christie attended to the symposium to present virtual service-learning models used in the Department of Leadership Studies at Fort Hays State University, as well as network and learn from others involved in service-learning at other institutions.

CCL Brochures Now Available

The new Center for Civic Leadership brochures are now available. If you would like to receive a brochure, email your name and address to ccl@fhsu.edu or stop by Picken Hall 208 on the Fort Hays State University Campus.

School Supplies Shipped to Children Affected By Hurricanes

On November 17, volunteers gathered in front of Sheridan Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus to load 500 pounds of school supplies onto a Yellow Transportation semi-truck for Hurricane Help for Schools. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 372,000 children’s lives were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Hurricane Help for Schools gives school supplies to children affected by the hurricanes. After the school supplies were loaded in the truck, they were shipped to Franklin Upper Elementary school in Meadville, Mississippi. Through the Tigers in Service program and Hurricane Help for Schools, this effort has helped to relieve some of the burden placed on families affected by the hurricanes and has allowed the FHSU students and community members an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children many miles away.

Acting Executive Director of Center for Civic Leadership

In the spring of 2006, Dr. Curt Brungardt will be absent as Executive Director of the Center for Civic Leadership, and begin a semester on sabbatical leave. Ms. Christie Brungardt will serve as the Acting Executive Director of the Center for Civic Leadership. Christie is an instructor in the Department of Leadership Studies, and has served as the campus-wide Service-Learning and American Democracy Project Coordinator in the past. Christie has also been actively involved in the Chestnut Street District Development in Hays, KS, Kansas Youth Leadership Camp, and the Ellis County United Way. Christie is excited about the new opportunity, and looks forward to becoming the Executive Director of the Center for Civic Leadership.

Leaderville Online

Beginning in the fall of 2005, the LEAD program introduced the Leaderville Series Online. The Leaderville Series offers FHSU students the opportunity to improve leadership skills through a series of six workshops held on campus each semester. Each Leaderville Series workshop is filmed and placed online for viewing. Participants wanting to receive a Leaderville Series certificate of completion online must first view the workshop online, and then answer a series of questions to receive credit. Participants that watch four out of the six workshops, and answer the participation questions will receive a Leaderville Series certificate of completion.

KYLA Seminars

The Kansas Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA) incorporates educational leadership seminars to both high school and middle school students throughout the state of Kansas. The seminars are located in the different parts of the state, so that they have the potential to reach all Kansas middle and high school students. The seminars are located at KAW Area Technical School in Topeka, Fort Hays State University in Hays, Garden City Community College in Garden City, and Butler County Community College in El Dorado. Followership, diversity, personal responsibility, and problem solving are the concepts taught at the seminars this semester. The one-day seminars are facilitated by the Director of KYLA, Kara Moore, the Assistant Director of KYLA, Kandi Craig, the Curriculum Development Specialist, Samantha Butler, and Academy Certified Leadership Trainers (CLT’s). CLT’s are individuals including college students, university and K-12 educators, and community members who show an interest in developing leadership and life skills in youth, and have met all of the qualifications for the certification process. KYLA has served a total of 337 youth in three out of four of the leadership seminars.

Make a Difference Day

Make a Difference Day is a nation wide movement that gives organizations, as well as students an opportunity to spend a day working on a project in effort to make a real difference in their community. Volunteers will have the option to help with Holidays for Heroes, Hurricane Help for Schools, or the Alzheimer’s Association of the Great Plains’ Memory Walk 2005. Holidays for Heroes consists of a 3.88 mile run/walk, as well as packing boxes full of holiday goodies for men and women in the service overseas. Hurricane Help for Schools involves volunteers handing out a list of needed school supplies to customers as they enter Wal-Mart. Volunteers will then collect and sort school supplies from customers as they leave the store. The Alzheimer’s Association of the Great Plains’ Memory Walk 2005 is designed to raise awareness and funds to continue the programs and services offered through the Alzheimer's Association of the Great Plains: to care for partners, family members, and friends.

Readership Program Entering Second Year

The FHSU Readership Program, encouraged by the American Democracy Project (ADP), is entering its second year. This unique program enables copies of the Hays Daily News and The New York Times to be readily available, free to students, faculty, and staff, on the FHSU campus. Consequently, classes throughout the campus use these newspapers for assignments and class discussion. In addition, Times Talk, a weekly lunch forum, utilizes the New York Times as the basis for its discussion. In addition, the Readership Program also plays an important role in other activities on campus including Constitution Day (Sept. 16) and other public forums.

Campus-Community Service Fair

On September 8, the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Program of CCL will host the third annual Campus-Community Service Fair. Organizations from across the community will be present to explain how you can get involved in either volunteerism or service-learning. This activity will take place in the Ballroom in the Memorial Union. For more information, please contact Jill Stafford at jstafford@fhsu.edu.

New Staff

Recently, the Center for Civic Leadership has expanded its staff to better serve you. CCL would like to welcome their newest staff members.

Sarah Melia – CCL Student Administrative Assistant
Amy Walker – CCL Special Projects Coordinator
Mitch Hall – ADP Assistant Director/LEAD
Katie Stucky – TIS Director
Karyn Thomas – colorBLIND Director/AmeriCorps*VISTA
Nichole Bryant - Service-Learning Administrative Assistant

Curt Brungardt, Director of CCL, and Kelley Kuhlmann, Assistant Director of CCL, are excited about the new staff and the upcoming year. The center has a variety of new activities planned. Be sure to stay updated and participate.

LEADOFF

LEADOFF 2005 is a fun-filled experience giving FHSU students an opportunity to learn essential leadership and team building skills. This weekend retreat will expand understanding of team building, collaboration, organizational participation, and growth. This retreat is free too all students; food and lodging are provided and transpiration is available. While there, students will participate in adventure ropes course, network, obtain leadership skills, heighten trust, work on team building, and have fun. LEADOFF is September 9 and 10 at Camp Aldrich. Due to limited space, please RSVP by September 2 to mhall@fhsu.edu or CCL at 785-628-5528.