PACE News |
Spring Semester 2008 |
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The Taters are Coming, the Taters are Coming! On Saturday, March 1, the Sweet Briar College community will be up to its eyeballs in potatoes — more than 40,000 pounds of white potatoes, in fact, delivered to the College for its inaugural “Potato Drop.” A tractor-trailer load of potatoes will be transported to Sweet Briar’s Le Bistro parking lot by the Society of St. Andrew. SOSA is a non-profit organization that makes its headquarters in Big Island, Va., and works to eradicate hunger by distributing edible but unmarketable produce to food pantries, churches and other agencies that feed the poor. According to the group’s Web site, in 2006 more than 11 million pounds of potatoes and other produce were salvaged and distributed by SOSA to hungry Americans. Once the mountain of spuds arrives on campus, Sweet Briar students, faculty and staff will re-bag the potatoes, if necessary, and distribute them to area agencies. Recipients will include, among others, God’s Storehouse, Daily Bread, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Nelson County Food Pantry, the Salvation Army and Noah’s Ark, a food bank in Washington, D.C. The effort is being spearheaded by the office of co-curricular life but also involves faculty and staff and several student groups, including the PACE (Promoting Academic and Community Engagement) Scholars, Sweet Spirits, Psy Chi psychology honor society, First-Year Assistants and the Sweet Briar Cross Country Club, among others. Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Amherst also is sending volunteers. Adam White, Sweet Briar’s chaplain, suggested having a Potato Drop at the College. He was involved in a similar event in 2004 when he was pastor of Emmanuel. He said it is a great way to unify the community and do a good deed at the same time. “The way it brought the community together was most significant,” White said. “The project involved local churches contributing labor [and] youth groups [and] the Boy Scout troop. “I guess what is the amazing sort of lesson in Potato Drop is that even in providing hungry people with free food, there is a tremendous amount of labor involved. When that labor is volunteer for transportation and sorting, the amount of good you can provide is incredible.” Emmanuel UMC’s Potato Drop dispensed 28,000 pounds of potatoes or 145,000 servings, White said. Sweet Briar’s project will distribute nearly twice that amount. “It’ll be a big task, but it is a great opportunity to give back something to many of the local organizations dealing with hunger and malnutrition,” Tom Loftus, SBC assistant professor of business, said. “The potatoes the students and staff will be distributing will help to feed literally hundreds and hundreds of area residents. Loftus became involved in the project after talking with White and Tory Oelfke, director of the First-Year Experience at Sweet Briar. Oelfke said the Potato Drop is a great opportunity for student clubs, organizations and groups to fulfill community service obligations and impact the local community at the same time. “It is all too easy to forget that there are many needs right in our own backyard,” he said. “We often think it is ‘so far away from us,’ so I see this program as a great opportunity for the Sweet Briar community and its students to continue to support those in need in our local communities.” Potato Drop volunteers are also seeking funds to reimburse SOSA for the cost of bagging the potatoes. According to Oelfke, SOSA pays its supplier approximately $1,500 to put the potatoes in 50-pound sacks. The president’s office, chaplain’s office and the First-Year Experience have already kicked in about $900, but more money is needed. If you’d like to contribute, contact Oelfke at toelfke@sbc.edu or 381-6420. – By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer |
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Fall Semester 2007 |
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Business Students Raise $3K for Make-A-Wish
The Halloween-themed benefit concert, which was held at the Sweet Briar Boathouse, raised $455 for Make-A-Wish. About 115 people attended, a little more than half of the group’s goal of 200. According to assistant professor of business Tom Loftus, the concert raised 10 times what the Oxfam dance – a event hosted by last fall’s lab class – took in and drew twice as many people. The Jail-A-Thon, during which faculty, staff and students paid to have about 100 members of the Sweet Briar community “jailed” in a roped-off area in the Lower Quad, raised $190 for Make-A-Wish. The cost of incarceration was $1 for five minutes, $2 for 10 minutes and $3 for 15 minutes. To make bail, the detainee had to cough up an equal amount of cash or stay behind bars for the duration of the sentence. The first detainee, Le Bistro employee Will Fritzler, was held for nearly two hours. “[He] showed up in a black and white striped prisoner uniform,” event organizer Dori Rucker ’09 said. “He was jailed for a total of one hour and fifty-five minutes from the donations of the Bistro staff and ladies who worked in the library. That was a great way to start off this event!” The fashion show and silent auction, featuring clothing by Richmond outfitter South Moon Under and make-up by Mary Kay Cosmetics, raised $608. One-hundred sixty people showed up, surpassing the team’s goal of 150. The event was not without its share of snags, however. The clothing didn’t arrive until the day before the fashion show, and doing makeup for more than a dozen models took longer than expected. However chaotic at the time, though, it was a learning curve the students were happy to negotiate. Through the process, marketing and PR person Lauren Guyer ’09 said she learned “communications, leadership, and stepping up when you need to and backing off when you need to.” For Jesse Leiner ’10, event planner and chairperson, it was an opportunity to lead. “Being in a leadership role was definitely something I’d never really done before,” she said. “It was interesting, and I really enjoyed taking all the models to Richmond. That was a very different experience. It was a lot of fun.” Ann Dowdy, who was in charge of donations, said, “I thought it was really rewarding to see the actual show put together after all of our hard work.” For the dining hall fast, participants boycotted Sweet Briar’s cafeteria, opting to eat meals provided by area restaurants and the business management students. Money not spent by dining services that day – a whopping $1,714.46 according to event organizer Sarina Catalon ’10 – was donated to Make-A-Wish. Fifty-nine percent of the student body – 324 students – participated in the fast, along with five faculty and staff. On Monday, Dec. 3, the business management lab students made their final presentation on the results of the Make-A-Wish project for their professors and other students and members of the Sweet Briar community. At the end of the presentation, assistant professor Tom Loftus made a spontaneous donation, pushing the final total over the $3,000 mark. “Overall, I think this has been the most successful semester so far, because we had a good CEO [Micaela Weiss ’09] and a strong executive suite that really stepped up and went beyond what my original expectations were,” assistant professor of business Tom Loftus said. In particular, he cited the use of 360-degree evaluations, which “provided us with an excellent flow of information on how the groups were functioning. … Each group exceeded their goals in one way or another.” The quality of the written work, which included reports on two business management texts, also was exceptional, he said. “It’s been a great group, first to last. I look forward to working with them as they move into leadership roles or in my marketing classes.” – By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer |
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SBC Business Program Featured in Habitat World Magazine
The story, “Home Work for Habitat: Universities and Colleges Make Creative Classrooms out of Habitat for Humanity Construction Sites and Awareness-Building Projects,” was published in the September 2007 issue. Circulation for the quarterly publication is estimated at 1,296,545. Last spring, students from Sweet Briar’s business management lab organized three events in support of Habitat: Battle of the Bands, the “Princess Palace” and “Be Homeless for Habitat,” a campout aimed at increasing awareness for homelessness. The objective of the lab was to model real-world businesses by having students raise both funds and awareness for Habitat’s mission. Students raised $1,500, more than twice what the lab collected the previous year. This summer, those efforts got the attention of someone at Habitat headquarters. “We set up a conference call with them over the summer through Craig Cassell [executive director of] Amherst County Habitat for Humanity,” Michelle Raymond, CEO of the 2007 lab, said. “Craig told me that Habitat World contacted him asking about Sweet Briar’s involvement, and we set up the conference call from there.” Raymond, a senior business management major, and business management faculty Tom Loftus and Melody Gotwalt were quoted in the article. In addition, a photo of Raymond and classmates Jenny Walkiewicz, Ruthanne Ratliff, and Megan Manubay ran with the story. “I am very pleased to see Sweet Briar highlighted in Habitat World,” Raymond said. “This is a very exciting time for the students and faculty who actively participate with Amherst County Habitat for Humanity.” Loftus was equally pleased. “I was delighted to see our business students receive recognition in Habitat World for their hard work last year,” he said, adding that students were already hard at work planning this year’s events. In addition to organizing the third annual Battle of the Bands, new educational and fund-raising projects are in the works. Loftus also would like to see the students expand their involvement with Amherst Habitat, perhaps by serving on committees or working with the board of directors. “I think such opportunities will offer not only our business students, but SBC Habitat Club members and other SBC students, an excellent chance to gain insight into the challenges faced by our local non-profit organizations,” he said. “It will be a much different kind of experience than working on a build or fund-raising event can provide.” This fall, Amherst Habitat also will collaborate with Sweet Briar on their third annual Habitat 5K Walk/Run. The race will begin in the Sweet Briar Quad at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. Also, several campus organizations — the Habitat Club, Sweet Spirits and the Student Athletics Advisory Council, among others — will help construct a Habitat house. “I am excited to see what new ideas and events the students in the upcoming business lab will produce,” Raymond said. “Working with Habitat for Humanity has been very rewarding for both students and staff. By participating in Habitat for Humanity, we are giving back to our community and enriching the lives of those around us.” — By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer |
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Sweet Briar Senior Wins at Habitat 5K Gretchen McDonough ’08 was the first woman to cross the finish line at the 3rd Annual Habitat 5K, held Saturday, Nov. 10 at Sweet Briar College. McDonough’s time of 22:08 for the 3.1-mile course also allowed her to place 6th overall. Gretchen McDonoughThe annual race incorporates the Dairy Loop and was run by several of the College’s students, faculty and staff. Several members of the Sweet Briar community placed overall or in the top three of their age groups. Dining services director Kevin Phelps’ 15-year-old daughter, Laura, was the second overall female, finishing the course in 22:49. Her dad and mom, Jeanne, ran, too, crossing the finish line in 46:19 and 53:39, respectively. Placing in the top three of their age groups were Larry Janow, Rebecca Soliwoda ’08, Jeff Young, Ginny Zirkle and Adam White. Janow, visiting professor of government, won the male 60-69 division with a time of 32:01. Soliwoda was the first female in the 20-29 age group to cross the finish line with 24:14. Ginny Zirkle of computer services, earned second place in the women’s 40-49 age group with 29:26, and Jeff Young, also of computer services, ran 34:38 and placed second in the men’s 30-39 division. Chaplain Adam White was third male in 30-39, finishing the course in 44:10, and the VCCA’s Amy Allen was third female in the 30-39 age group with 32:54. Tom Loftus, assistant professor of business, and his kids, Brian and David, also competed. Loftus ran 44:49 and placed fourth in the men’s 50-59 age group. Brian, 13, clocked in at 38:01 and David, 10, at 44:48. For complete results visit www.riversiderunners.com. – By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer
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New Faculty Line up for PACE Adding to our group of PACE faculty will be 8 new members who will tie in at least one of their classes to the PACE program. Joining us this year will be Drs. Rob Alexander (Environmental Studies), Christian Carr (Arts Management), Kate Chavigny (History), Tracy Hamilton (Art History), Debbie Kasper (Sociology), Liz Kent (Library Services), Lynn Rainville (Anthropology/Archaeology), and Hank Yochum (Physics). They will join Eric Casey (Classics), Holly Gould (Education), Cathy Gutierrez (Religion), Tim Loboschefski (Psychology), Tom Loftus (Business) and Janet Steven (Biology) in their endeavors. Look for more information this year as the projects kick off. |
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PACE Scholarship 2007-08 We have recently awarded our PACE Academic-year Scholars for 2007- 2008! Each student receives a stipend of $1000 for her continued works in the community. These scholars will also assist in PACE activities such as Fall semester's "Potato Project" for endhunger.org, and for the year-long "Locks of Love" campaign (locksoflove.org). Congratulations to the following students!
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