Issue II | October & November 2011

HUMANITARIAN LEADERSPhotos by Dan Gaken

Freeland freshman Courtney Payk works with her LDR 100 classmates on Monday, Nov. 7 while volunteering at the Isabella County Habitat for Hu-manity ReStore.

By Katie Conley | Staff Writer

On a brisk afternoon, LDR 100 students made a 1.5 mile long hike to volun-

teer at the Isabella County Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Monday, Nov. 7 to complete their volunteer project. Upon arrival, students were put to work on a variety of different tasks. Those brave enough climbed atop the roof to help attach shingles on the store’s new addition, while others helped move lumber and scrap wood around the store’s grounds. “We talk about being leaders and being active in our community while in class and this was the perfect opportunity to put our lessons and be-liefs into practice,” said Rochester Hills freshman Andrea Zelenak on why she thought it was important for the class to partake in the volunteer project. In addition to helping fund new and ongoing housing projects, the ReStore allows people in the Mount

Pleasant community to purchase new or gently used building materials for home improvement. At the ReStore, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Items that are usually taken to landfills, varying from furniture to cabinets, are brought to the store where they are purchased by homeowners, college students, landlords, among others. Though volunteering at the ReStore was much different than their usual class time, students im-mediately dove in and got their hands dirty. While moving a pile of scrap wood, the class got to work to-gether to accomplish a goal. This is why Clawson freshman Elliot Mak-sout said he enjoyed the experience. “We accomplished a lot and it was a great bonding experience,” he said. Despite heavy lifting and the unpleasant discovery of a mouse under a woodpile, students were all smiles as they worked. “We knew we were do-ing something good for the commu-nity,” Zelenak said.

LDR 100 students volunteer at Habitat for Humanity ReStore

THE LEADERSHIP LETTER

Leadership Recognition Dinner 2011

By Chelsey Colston | Staff Writer

The Leadership Recognition Dinner took place in the Powers Ballroom on Nov. 3. This annual event brings together leaders

from across campus. “With everyone’s busy schedules, it’s hard to find

an event that brings all of CMU’s leaders together, but that’s what the leadership recognition dinner does. It’s a great way to reconnect with friends or meet new lead-ers on campus,” sophomore Steven Steele said.

This year Central Michigan University Student Body President Vince Cavataio acted as the MC for the evening.

“I was humbled by the talented leaders in the room. As leaders of CMU, we are paving the way for an exceptional future that extends beyond our campus,” said senior Cavataio. “I enjoyed the two guest speakers and was inspired by Rep. LaFontaine. I believe she is a prime example of the CMU experience.”

The Leadership Recognition Dinner featured

speakers Central Michigan University graduate Andrea LaFontaine and University of Michigan graduate Nan-cy E. Short. Both spoke on leadership through sharing their personal experiences from the political realm.

“It’s very encouraging to see that, like Nancy and Andrea, young people can make a difference in their communities through multiple avenues,” said senior Lauren Atkinson. “I think that it is especially impor-tant for those of us preparing to graduate to hear these speeches and see examples like this, so that we will be even more motivated to hit the ground running when we leave CMU.”

Others appreciated the speakers’ recognition of their fellow student leaders.

“I really enjoyed the part where guest speaker Nancy took the time to share the accomplishments of fellow leaders on campus,” said junior Jen Morneau. “It is great to hear those students are being recognized especially when it is hard to keep up with all the activi-ties our fellow students are undertaking while keeping so busy ourselves.”

MAKING THE CONNECTION

Photos by Dan Gaken

By Gary Williams | Staff Writer

Hundreds of Central Michigan Uni-versity students

gathered on Nov. 6 and 7 to network with other stu-dents, develop their lead-ership skills and challenge their mindsets at the Con-nections Leadership Con-ference 2011 located at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, Mich.

Attendees included the LAS Freshmen Cohort, stu-dents in Greek Life and Resident Life leadership posi-tions and other leaders from around campus.

“My favorite part of the conference was hanging out with my roommates and connecting with everyone else in LAS,” said Livonia freshman Miranda Castillo. “I also really enjoyed discussing as a group what we can do in order to further improve the LAS class as a whole.”

Leadership Advancement Students were able to net-work and build stronger connections through the Institute Sessions. In these sessions, LAS Freshmen discussed the current culture of the cohort and critical issues they were passionate about on campus.

“The institute session allowed our cohort to have a group discussion where we could have an honest con-versation about how we felt toward the program,” said Freeland freshmen Courtney Payk. “We were also able to come up with realistic changes to improve the pro-

gram while acknowledging the many positive qualities of LAS.”

The conference keynote, Tami Evans, spoke about the importance of maintaining a healthy balance and per-suasive leadership.

“I really connected with Tami Evans and loved how her message pertained to my life,” said expressed Olivet freshmen, Trisha Funk. “She was a really enthusiastic and engaging speaker and her examples allowed me to really see how I could apply her ideas toward not being a people pleaser.”

Each conference attendee also engaged in general skill sessions, with topics ranging from careers, social media communication, to individual leadership styles. The annual Connections Conference allowed the at-tendees to network with each other and build their lead-ership skills, all while having a good time at the Great Wolf Lodge.

By Justin Sutherland | Staff Writer

Homecoming has once again come and gone at Central Michigan University, but memories have been made that will last a lifetime, accord-ing to many students. It was especial-ly an exciting homecoming season at Barnes Hall. With the theme Alice in Wonderland, Barnes Hall residents created a float that consisted of a tea party complete with dancing cards, the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and Alice herself.

Once Mock Rock arrived, Barnes Hall had thought up a very witty dance based on Alice in Won-derland that was both funny and elaborate. Some notable roles in-cluded students Allison Kemp as Al-ice and Sam Pascoe as the Mad Hat-ter. Although Barnes did not take the gold, they put on an amazing show, said many students.

The infamous CMU Medal-lion Hunt was also a dominant part of Barnes Hall’s quest for Central sprit. The Medallion Hunt involves an anonymous, secret group of people who hide a gold medallion somewhere on campus. The ground provides clues and riddles through-out the week that lead hundreds of people in search for the medallion all over campus. The clues eventually lead to the coveted medallion.

This year, two teams based out of Barnes used different strategies and techniques in order to solve the riddles and find the medallion. The teams included Team Barnes Hall, a group of Barnes residents, and Team Swag, a group of Barnes Hall fresh-men. The freshmen’s goal was to be the first all-freshman team to find the medallion.

Although the ultimate prize of finding the medallion is 50 spirit points and 200 dollars worth of piz-za, the glory of finding this medal-lion was the real reward most groups fight for.

Residents in Barnes Hall participate in Homecoming week

By Veronica Meadows | Staff Writer On October 7, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois,

the Leadership Institute’s own Dan Gaken completed his first marathon.

Accompanying him in the race was Erin Smith of Central Michigan University’s Ad-missions Office and Gary and Kaylee Baker, who are also former CMU employees. The race was a reunion for the group of friends, because Gary and Kaylee recently moved to New Jersey for Gary’s career.

Gaken decided to train for the race af-ter having concerns for his health, due to increased hours as a result of the significant reductions in the staff of the Leadership In-stitute.

“I just couldn’t find the time I needed to

take care of myself physically,” Gaken said. “I am a very goal-oriented person, so this gave me something to work towards.”

While Gaken was never able to keep a routine training regimen for the race, he found inspiration in the 1.7 million support-ers who came to watch the participants.

“They come to support, cheer, and en-courage every runner,” Gaken said. “The positive environment that they created al-lowed me to run the full 26.2 miles.”

After he crossed the finish line, Gaken reported feeling an extreme sense of accom-plishment. However, there were a few set-backs in his experience.

“At one point another runner stepped on my leg, tearing my shoe off and knocking me to the ground, but I wanted to finish” Gaken

recalls. “I wanted to finish because I made a commitment to myself to do so.”

Over the course of the race, Gaken found that his most difficult challenge was the mental games he played with himself and trying to convince himself that he could keep going.

While he currently has no plans to run another marathon in the near future, Gaken encourages others who want to run one. “I think most people would have the ability to run the distance if they can find them time to prepare,” he said.

The perseverance and commitment of Gaken has shown that if the goal is in sight, anything can be accomplished. However, it doesn’t hurt to have the support of 1.7 mil-lion people. Photo by MarathonFoto

LI Coordinator completes Chicago Marathon

Leadership Spotlight

Meet LAS freshman Kia Groya

Q: What is your major & minor? A: My majors are Marketing & Integrative Pub-lic Relations. My minors are Leadership & Sus-tainable Business.

Q: What are you involved in on or off campus? A: Program Board Executive Board, Circle K District Board, Phi Eta Sigma, Do Something! Youth Advi-sory Council and Fabiano Hall Resident Assistant Q: What is your favorite part of being a leader on campus? A: My absolute favorite part of being a leader at CMU is being granted the opportunity to learn countless les-sons from many intelligent leaders in the community. Q: Do you have any siblings?A: I have two older siblings.

Q: What has been your favorite LAS event thus far?A: My favorite LAS event has been, without a doubt, last year’s freshmen class service-lead-ership trip to Detroit. We were afforded op-

portunities to learn about the diverse cultures of Mexican town and mainstream Detroit, aid in the Greening of Detroit initiative and see a CMU grad (and honorary LAS-er) in action in-side Mayor Bing’s office. It was educational, in-vigorating and, above all, a remarkable bonding experience.

Q: What is your favorite color?A: Green. (Think it.) Q: What is something no one knows about you?A: I am a vegetarian for numerous reasons. From the poor standards and deteriorating morals of much of the agribusiness industry to the preventive properties inherent to a meatless diet, I am devout. Also, I believe everyone, especially elemen-tary school children, has the right to wholesome, minimally-processed, organic foods. In general terms, I am an advocate for reforming the state of food in our society. Plus, I am a diehard film fanatic, most appreciative of documentaries and the unique education they offer.

Spotlight on LAS sophomore Mark FairbrotherBy Loryn Roberson | Staff Writer

By Loryn Roberson | Staff Writer

Q: What is your major & minor?A: My major is biomedi-cal science and my minor is leadership.

Q: What are you involved in on or off campus? A: I am involved with club volleyball. I am also a Multicultural scholar, so I attend many multicultural events. Food tasters are my favorite! I am also very ex-cited to attend my very first alternative break this win-ter in Memphis, TN.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a leader on campus? A: My favorite part of be-ing a leader on campus is the opportunity to make a change, not just through LAS but also through the LI. There are so many opportunities to make a change and inspire people. Central makes it really easy for students to get in-volved and lead.

Q: What is your favor-ite color?A: My favorite color is yellow!

Q: Do you have any sib-lings?A: I have one sibling, Maeling. She is a junior at Central this year.

Q: What has been your fa-vorite LAS event thus far? Is there an event you are looking forward to?A: My favorite LAS event has been the recognition dinner. I thought it was re-ally awesome to meet the rest of my LAS family, since I haven’t gotten to meet many of the older members besides my men-tor. I am looking forward to working at Habitat for Humanity soon with my LAS cohort. Q: What is something no one in LAS knows about you?A: I have donated my hair twice to make wigs for cancer patients!

Spotlight LAS profes-sor Dr. Matthew PrewettBy Brittany Wright | Staff Writer

P s y c h o l -ogy professor Dr. Matthew Prewett has a laugh that could light up a classroom during an awk-ward silence. Since this is his second year at CMU, this is his first semester with LAS. He is adapting ac-cordingly even though teaching a class full of outgoing LAS students can be a completely different experience than a class-room of regular students, many believe.

“This is the most enjoyable class I have taught because the students are close to each other. They ask questions and make insight-ful comments. They are generally interested in learning the material. They are also fun to talk to beyond class hours,” Prewett said.

Outside of the classroom, one can find Prewett with friends, watching TV, playing video games or traveling to see family. Prewett enjoys traveling around various parts of the country, he said, and has hopes of international voyages in the near future.

When asked what he finds most influential beside other people, he pressed his lips. “Scien-tific research,” he said with confidence.

“It’s nerdy, I know, but the most valuable thing my college and graduate studies gave me was the ability to find and understand the avail-able research on an issue to help me make deci-sions in my life,” Prewett said. “I don’t always follow the research by the letter, but it’s such a useful guide to life.”

This is a concept in which he applies to the classroom, he said, and credits this notion to his success in both the classroom and in life.

LAS graduate Meredith Clark voted Golden AmbassadorBy Sean Rositano | Staff Writer

The old adage says, “The apple doesn’t far fall from the tree.” Leadership Advancement Scholar graduate Meredith Clark definitely did not fall very far. When Clark’s mother was a student at Central Michigan University, she was one of the top five candidates for the Homecoming Gold Ambassador. Even though her moth-er was not voted Golden Ambassador, it did not stop Clark from being voted as the 2011 Homecoming Gold Ambassador.

Clark was very excited, but also very nervous, at Mock Rock where she was announced as the winner.

“It was really cool seeing my family and best friends there that came to support me. I was definitely surprised when they

announced my name,” she said. “I have been going to Central homecoming games since before I could walk. Being named the Golden Ambassador is such a honor.”

However, being named the Home-coming Golden Ambassador was no easy task. After being nominated by the reg-istered student organization First Book, Clark filled out a very extensive applica-tion that asked for volunteer and work experience and additionally asked Clark to write numerous essays.

Once submitted, the top 10 females were named. Each nominee went through an interview process and gave a six to eight minute presentation describing their personal experience on what made Central special. Following this part of the process, the top five ambassadors were named. The

faculty and student body voted during Homecoming week and decided Clark as the 2011 Homecoming Gold Ambassador.

One of Clark’s duties was to attend an Alumni Relations Event and speak with the Alumni.

“It was exciting to see the Alumni back at Central. I really enjoyed discussing with them Central in the past and Central now,” she said. “They really want to say connect-ed with CMU. It was probably my favorite thing to do as the Gold Ambassador.”

Clark felt like an underdog; however her counterpart, Alan Jones, the 2011 male Homecoming Gold Ambassador, said Clark is the most deserving candi-date on campus. Clark is a phenomenal leader, he said, and she has a genuine care for people that cannot be matched.

By Kara Hattemer-Plant | Staff Writer

The dictionary defines word mentor is simply as “an adviser.” For the Trudell, VanBibber, McKellar, Hall fam-ily tree, having a mentor has meant much more than that.

Ellen Trudell, a senior from Allen Park studying Inte-grative Public Relations, is a mentor to Caitlin VanBibber, a junior from Rochester Hills. VanBibber appreciates the support Ellen has provided for her.

“I know that if I need advice, help or vent, she’s al-ways there,” Caitlin said of her mentor.

Majoring in Family Studies with minors in Leader-ship and Psychology, VanBibber is a mentor to Sparta sophomore Spencer McKellar.

“(He) keeps me in contact with the younger LAS class and he’s super fun to hang out with,” she said.” I like knowing that I can help him out if needed.”

VanBibber and McKellar have a mutual appreciation for one another and both feel they have benefitted from the mentoring program LAS has to offer.

McKellar, majoring in Social Studies with a History concentration and minoring in Leadership, also enjoys keeping in contact with older LAS members through his mentor. Being a mentor to Novi freshman Adrienne Hall has also been a rewarding experience for McKellar.

“Any time I do spend with (Adrienne), I realize more and more that she will do great at CMU and in life,” he said.

Hall, majoring in Journalism with a concentration in Photojournalism and Public Relations, is very pleased with her experience of having a mentor.

“It was great that we had things in common, like both being in the Honors program,” said Adrienne. She also looks forward to being a mentor and con-tinuing her family tree.

LAS family tree enjoys mentoring program

Spotlight on LAS junior Jacob WhiteBy Andrew Kreiner | Staff Writer

Q: What is your major & minor?A: My major is Psychology and Spanish, and mi-nor is Leadership.

Q: What are you involved in on or off campus? A: I am currently involved with the Honors Pro-gram here at CMU. This is my second year as a Resident Assistant with Sweeney Hall. I partici-pate and conduct research with Dr. Acevedo in the Community Aid Lab located in Sloan Hall. Hold-ing the Chaplain position in Sigma Alpha Epsilon and participating in the activities of Greek Inter-varsity has also been a rewarding experience this year. I am a member of Golden Key and a church here on campus called His House.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a leader on campus? A: Being a leader on campus allows me the privilege to influence and change the campus environment for the better and provides me with learning experiences that will likely help me in my future endeavors.

Q: What is one of your fondest memories of LAS?A: One of my fondest memories was going on the mentee/mentor camping trip at Eagle Village.

Q: What made you decide to come to Central to study?A: My decision to come to Central was based on my acceptance into the Honors College and the Leadership Advancement Scholarship program.

Q: What is your favorite place to go out to eat in Mount Pleasant?A: Mountain Town!

Q: Do you prefer boxers or briefs?A: Well I prefer boxer briefs but if I had to choose I would pick boxers...

Q: Where do you hope to be in life five years from now?A: I hope to be receiving my PhD in Clinical Psychology and begin working toward my career goals and having a family.

Please contact Ashley Miller (248-755-2564) or Angela DiGiovanni (586-876-1073) with any comments or article ideas.

cmuleadershipletter@gmail.com

Meet LAS senior Jessica WeesiesBy Andrew Kreiner | Staff Writer

Q: What is your major & minor?A: My major is elementa-ry special education with an endorsement in cog-nitive impairments. My minors are child develop-ment and leadership.

Q: What are you involved in on or off campus? A: I am involved in Stu-dent Council for Excep-tional Children. I am on E-board for that and am the publicity chair. I am co-chair for the steering committee of the Learn Today Teach Tomorrow Conference. I have been on this planning commit-tee for three years. I also volunteer at the Special Olympics winter games and this will be my third year going.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a leader on campus? A: I like making a differ-ence and seeing my efforts come together. I like to be involved in things that help others. I love volun-teering and making a dif-ference.

Q: What is one of your

fondest memories of LAS?A: One of my fondest mo-ments in LAS would have to be the retreats to eagle village. The down time at night was the best!

Q: What made you de-cide to come to Central to study?A: I have always been in-terested in going into spe-cial education, so that is how I became interested in CMU. The school and campus size was also a plus. Every time I came for a tour everyone was very friendly. I think that definitely swayed my vote to come to CMU.

Q: What is your favorite place to go out to eat in Mount Pleasant?A: I love lasagna, so I would have to say Italian Oven.

Q: Where do you hope to be in life five years from now?A: I hope to be married with a successful job. I want to have a job in a special education setting working with students who have cognitive im-pairments. I also hope to be volunteering in the community I live in.