Archive for May, 2011
Oglethorpe Family Delivers Hands-On Support to Disaster Stricken Communities
Posted by: | May 27, 2011 | CommentsOn Wednesday, 34 Stormy Petrels loaded up the Center for Civic Engagement vans to offer disaster relief for our neighbors in Ringgold, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama, struck recently by devastating tornados. Students, staff, faculty, alumni and even an incoming freshman joined in the relief work, totaling over 214 hours of service that day.
OU President Dr. Larry Schall (left) works with students and staff at the Montgomery Food Bank. One student, Camille Taylor '13, said "I had such a great time with my fellow OU family. I learned so much...this was such a fulfilling experience!"
The CCE organized Oglethorpe’s volunteers into two groups, one that worked in a food bank in Montgomery and another in Ringgold, where they participated in outreach efforts at a local church. Each volunteer spent several hours in service sorting food at the Montgomery Area Food Bank , working on relief center projects in Ringgold, and going door-to-door in neighboring Rossville, Georgia to let residents know of the assistance that is available to them. They also readied the distribution center for other volunteers who are scheduled to arrive next week.
“At first, it’s difficult to feel like what you’re doing is making a significant difference because you’re just one person,” said Megan VanDoran ’09, who works as an OU Admission Counselor. “But with all of us working together, it’s clear to see that every single person’s help makes some sort of impact.”
In a letter to the Oglethorpe volunteers, Jaime Robards, Development and Volunteer Coordinator at the food bank, expressed just how valuable Oglethorpe’s service was to the organization. “The total number of volunteer hours reached an amazing 94.5 hours—which would have cost us approximately $1,672.65, and nearly two and a half weeks, to staff.”
Pictured: Group of volunteers in Ringgold, Georgia. "I am ecstatic about the response from OU staff, students and alumni," said Tamara Nash, Director of the CCE. "We are a community of people who truly care and we’re willing to lend a hand to help others. We live and breath our motto: Make a difference."
Robards also thanked the group for donating 37 pounds of hygienic supplies for disaster victims in 14 of the hardest hit areas. Because most of the immediate needs of disaster victims have been met, the community is moving toward a sustained recovery phase, in which efforts like those from OU volunteers are truly needed.
“As a native of Atlanta, I was excited to have my hometown represented in such a powerful way,” wrote Robards. “We enjoyed your energy, enthusiasm, and spirit, and your tremendous focus on the task at hand. We are grateful to have worked with such a remarkable group of individuals.”
Oglethorpe was recently named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Read more.
OU Petrel to Tour with the Indigo Girls
Posted by: | May 26, 2011 | CommentsWhen he was thirteen years old, Ben Williams ’11 knew he wanted to play the guitar. His “practical Jewish mother” had one piece of advice: “She said, play the bass because you’ll make more money that way,” recalls Ben. “Everyone plays the guitar.” Now, the OU communication major is gearing up for his first big job as a bass guitarist. Starting in June, Ben and his four bandmates will hit the road as the opening act for the legendary folk rock group the Indigo Girls.
Since joining the local pop group The Shadowboxers last summer, Ben spent much of his senior year traveling with his band. “Playing music is definitely a dream job,” said Ben. “It’s fun pursuing something that can seem a little impractical.”
Ben recently sat down with the Oglethorpe Blog to share on video a little more about the band, meeting the Indigo Girls, and which OU professor he hopes to see at their Atlanta stop…
Summer is the Season for Art Education Classes at OUMA
Posted by: | May 25, 2011 | CommentsEverybody knows that the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art hosts some of the most magnificient art exhibits, but did you know that the museum holds a number of art workshops as well?
Starting in June, art enthusiasts of all ages will descend upon Weltner Library’s third floor not only take in some fine art, but also to to learn from the pros ways in which they can master their medium. Art instructors Allise Whitworth, Stephanie Routier, and Jean Woodall will share their expertise in portraiture, photography, and drawing in a series of workshops and camps for both children and adults.
For two weeks, ten young photographers will escape the world of digital, when Routier takes them back to the basics with her black and white Photography 101 camp, designed for highly motivated students, 12 years and older. For younger kids and teens, OUMA is hosting a Summer Art Camp that will focus on OUMA’s current exhibit, Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art from the Collection of Shelley and Donald Rubin ’56. Students will explore and experiment with patterns, portraits, and resist techniques as they create original two-dimensional artwork.
On Friday afternoons, Whitworth invites adult learners to try their hand at traditional Indian art techniques, inspired by the Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest exhibit. In Woodall’s Moving Into Art workshop, artists integrate the technical with the creative by drawing with the assistance of image-guided movement of the Skinner Releasing Technique (SRT).
The museum also will host a Saturday Family Art Day on June 4 and Girl Scout Badge Workshops. Visit OUMA online to find out more on dates and registration for these summer art programs. Some of the classes begin as early as June 3!
Dr. Schall Gets Personal with Chronicle of Higher Education
Posted by: | May 23, 2011 | Comments
President Schall barely misses an overhead balloon filled with colored water during Oglethorpe's Holi Color Festival in March. Holi is celebrated in India to welcome spring, and the occasion is marked each year when hundreds of people playfully splatter their neighbors with colored powder and water.
In this week’s online edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Oglethorpe President Larry Schall shares his thoughts about experiencing campus life during the opening week of OU Museum of Art’s Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest exhibit in March.
To celebrate the exhibition’s arrival on campus, OU students organized several events—including an Indian Holi color festival on the quad (read: water balloon fight Oglethorpe-style) and a screening of the film Slumdog Millionaire. In the article the Chronicle titled “A College President Puts Down His Pencil for a Water Balloon,” President Schall writes:
“I knew most of the kids who had arrived early, and they teased me about wearing a suit and tie to the event. I had no intention whatsoever of joining their water-balloon fight and had, in fact, deliberately worn a suit for the specific purpose of avoiding any involvement…But as I watched the students get ready for their “spring bath,” the thought crossed my mind: Didn’t I have some shorts and a T-shirt in the trunk of my car?… Ten minutes later, barefoot and dressed for the gym, I was leading a charge across the lawn, armed with a half-dozen balloons of my own…for a brief moment, I was transported back 40 years to my college days. (Although, to be honest, I’m not sure I ever had that much fun in college–at least that I can remember.)” Click here for the full article.
Oglethorpe University Receives National Recognition for Community Service, Named to 2010 President’s Honor Roll
Posted by: | May 23, 2011 | Comments
For the fifth year in a row, Oglethorpe University has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. OU is the only school in Georgia to make the general honor roll five years in a row.
The Corporation for National and Community Service administers the annual Honor Roll award, and recognizes more than 600 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.
“Congratulations to Oglethorpe University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick A. Corvington, Chief Executive Officer of CNCS. “We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service.”
Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.
How We Made the Grade:
During the 2009-2010 school year,
- 601 students engaged in community service through OU’s Center for Civic Engagement.
- 108 volunteer projects were completed and 8,798 volunteer hours were contributed through CCE projects and programs.
- 180 students participated in a service-learning class
OU's students have volunteered with many projects inside and outside Atlanta. 2009-2010 volunteer projects included Orientation Day of Service at Historic Oakland Cemetery; Hands on Atlanta Day at Austell Tornado Relief, and the Alternative Winter Break to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity, among many others.
