A Rotaract Christmas

Each year Rotaract contributes to Operation Christmas Child, which is an event sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse in order to distribute gifts to underprivileged children overseas. Rotaract and other student organizations work together to decorate shoe boxes or plastic containers and fill them with school supplies, hygiene products, and toys. If you would like to get involved to help a less fortunate child please contact a member of Rotaract or e-mail them at utmrotaract@hotmail.com

The National Association of Black Journalist

The National Association of Black Journalist will be taking a two day trip to St. Louis November 5-7. They will be visiting a series of media venues which will include: News Channel 11, Alive Magazine, and the St. Louis American (an African American weekly Newspaper). NABJ is looking forward to the adventure and are hoping that it is a distinguishing learning experience.

PRSSA President goes to London

PRSSA President Rebecca Alsup recently returned from a study abroad trip to London. The trip was afforded to her by the Jerald Ogg Scholarship and the Communications Department. Rebecca is a Public Relations major at UT Martin and the purpose of her trip was to attend London Metropolitan and report back to UT Martin the similarities and differences of the PR programs offered at each school. Other than comparing the two programs Rebecca also had to lay the ground work for the ment where they exchange one student each semester to attend classes at the other school. This would help broaden the PR program at both schools. Forget all work and no play, in her spare time Rebecca was able to do sight seeing, learn of London’s history, and she also was able to do a day long internship with Heat Magazine. Rebecca feels that this experience helped improve her leadership skills ant taught her more about how her major can apply in different places.

Banner Competition

Each year during homecoming Alumni Relations holds a banner competition that consists of 4 categories: Open, Departmental, Sorority and Fraternity. All student organizations that participated fall into the open category and this year the winner of the open category was Tri Beta, the Honorary Biological society. To find out the winners of the other categories, please contact Alumni Relations for more information.

Can Sculpture Contest

Each year the Rotaract club holds a can sculpture contest during homecoming, in which organizations on campus collect as many cans as they can and create a sculpture out of them. Once the contest is over all of the cans that are used in the contest are donated to the We Care for the needy families in the community. This year the sisters of Chi Omega Sorority won the contest for the best sculpture. Congratulations!

JARS Drawing Contest

This year the Japanese Animation Research Society held a drawing competition for their new T-shirt design. Sophomore Graphic Design Major Terran Qualls, was the winner of the JARS drawing contest. He says his inspiration for the drawing came from an idea he used for the Visual Arts Society’s banner (in the banner competition) with a dash of anime flare. Terran drew 12 different pictures for the group members to review and decide upon; his artistic abilities allowed him to win the contest and be the responsible figure for the new T-shirt design. JARS is an active student organization on the UTM campus and is growing in numbers every year.

Rotaract’s Quad City Can Drive and Sculpture Contest

Saturday, October 10, 2009, amidst the hustle and bustle of Homecoming week here on the campus of UTM, Rotaract conducted a mass canned food drive to benefit We Care. As alumni, students, friends, and families gathered at the heart of campus, the power of people sharing a common goal became evident. Over 3,800 cans were collected from 12 student organizations as well as from various individual donors. Everyone expressed great enthusiasm and creativity as organizations and groups of donors constructed inspiring works of art with their cans. Rotaract’s service efforts are sure to provide food for families in Weakley County and throughout West Tennessee during the winter, which might have otherwise gone hungry.

Organization Development symposium

On Saturday September 12, the office of Student Organizations and SGA held its first annual Organization Development Symposium. Over 20 different campus organizations were represented at the conference and the day consisted of several break out sessions in which students learned more about different leadership information. Student organizations and SGA would like to do everything possible to make this event bigger and better for next year.

College Democrats Take on Jackson Day!

On August 29, 2009 the UT Martin College Democrats volunteered at the Tennessee Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser called Jackson Day. The Day consisted of meetings of statewide Democratic organizations, concluding in a dinner with keynote speaker Bill Clinton (former U.S. President), “I think being a part of this, not only just to volunteer for something that we believe in, it also gave us the opportunity to see politicians on our side of the aisle give great encouraging speeches and really lifted our spirits as well as everyone else who attended,” said Heather Hicks. The College Democrats are doing all that they can to live up to their mission to promote a better America with equality, opportunity and freedom. Be on the look out for future events and activities the group has planned for the future. (In Picture: Folasayo Salami, Mary Jean Hall, Senator Roy Herron, and Heather Hicks at Jackson Day.)

History Club-Health Forum

The History Club held their first forum of the semester on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. The purpose of this forum was to raise awareness about Health Care Reform and to see the different views regarding the matter. The forum consisted of a panel of UT Martin professors and faculty members, who gave their opinions on health care. The panel included: Shirley Frye from Nursing, Malcolm Couch from the Political Science department, Angie Mackewn from Psychology and Chris Brown from Philosophy. The History Club will be holding another educational forum later in the semester, so be on the lookout for fliers and emails.

New Student Organizations

Recently, there have been 10 new additions to the UT Martin Student Organization family. These organizations have been under temporary status for quite some time, but on Friday, September 25, 2009 each of these clubs became official UT Martin Student Organizations. They are as follows: Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society, Freethinkers Society, Intercollegiate Studies Group, Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, Non-Traditional Student Association, the Rugby Club, Saudi Student Association, Tennessee Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences Alumni Association, UT Martin Percussion Society, and the Vegetarian Society: Children of the Soy. Each of these unique groups will bring even more diversity and special interests to our school so be on the look out for upcoming events and activities that are sponsored by these groups. (In photo: Advisor Stephanie Mueller and President Scott Ellegood of the Non-Traditional Student Association pose with official Student Organization Certificate)

Sigma Chi Going Green

The brothers of Sigma Chi (Kappa Psi chapter) at UT Martin have started on the journey to going green! The fraternity acquired a home to call their own just a little over a year ago in June of 2008 and recently, we have seen that the brothers have taken a keen interest in recycling materials such as aluminum and glass. They have two large barrels placed in their backyard for recycling these materials and will soon get two more to begin recycling paper and plastic. “Recycling doesn’t take a lot of effort . . . it just seems like the right thing to do,” said Billy Price of Sigma Chi.

But their efforts do not end at recycling; they are making their house as energy efficient as possible. All of the main light fixtures in the house contain energy efficient light bulbs, they have shower heads that are built to conserve water, and they use Blow-in Insulation.

The landlord of the Sigma Chi house, UT Martin lecturer Shawn Nanney, supports the fraternity’s efforts to go green and has helped with installing shower heads and doing the necessary renovations to make the house more efficient.

To read more about recycling you can visit the website of the UTM recycles, they are an active organization on campus that promotes recycling on our campus and in our community.

http://www.utm.edu/organizations/recycle/

Campus responds to attacks

When Hunter Gierling heard about the Aug. 30 rape, he formed a Facebook group. He said, "When I started I figured that there was something that we could do. I wasn't sure what it was as a community but I knew there was something that we could do to help this out and I was mainly wanting to get people's opinion on different things. Different scenarios that we could play thru just as a whole how we could work, even with the police on it, just anything possible because it's just gotta stop."
Three days later and with close to 2,000 online members, six students attended the first meeting for Students That Offer Protection (STOP). "There's a lot of stipulations you have to go thru, a lot of papers you have to fill out if you're going to do stuff on campus" said Gierling. The University recently granted STOP temporary organization status. Gierling said, "I think it's going to be a lot of fun, there's going to be some work to do."
Their group advisor, Communications Professor Van Horn, said, "They are very enthusiastic about this."

Gierling is from Union City, Tenn. and he said, "I don't know, it's just a close to home thing."

Carl Lowrence and Scottie Somerville, two friends Gierling has known since high school, are also involved in the effort to protect the community. In between classes, homework and jobs the three of them are working to not only gain permanent University recognition, but to find local businesses interested in supporting their cause.
One idea that Lowrence had was to raise enough money to offer women on campus and in the community free pepper spray and air horns. They are also interested in providing self-defense classes, counseling and involving other groups in a campus-wide escort service. . .

To continue reading following this link to the Pacer website:
http://media.www.utmpacer.com/media/storage/paper1175/news/2009/09/09/CampusNews/Campus.Responds.To.Attacks-3765745.shtml

Students Participation in the U.S. 2010 Census

Dr. Margret Toston of UT Martin is heading up a committee of several staff members in order to participate in the 2010 U.S. Census Partnership Support Program. The U.S. Census Partnership program is a proposal submitted to request funding to promote the census on the UT Martin campus. Members of the committee include Toston, David Belote, Steve Vantrease, Louis Ragsdale and David Taylor.

The members of the committee have been working to decide which campus and citywide events will effectively promote census preparation and participation among the students. Quite a few students are unaware that they must be counted here in Martin, not in their hometown. According to the U.S. Census 2010 website, people are to be counted where they live and sleep for majority of the year. This is important not only because it is required by law, but also because, the more residents a city holds, the more funding it will receive. For example, for every 1,000 people counted, $100,000 goes to that cities budget for infrastructure, roads, and other services.

The campus committee has also been working closely with the cities’ committee members to avoid duplication of ideas. “We would like to get the total amount of funding we request and maximize the number of people that participate,” said Taylor. Upon, receipt of such funding, the committee plans to purchase magnets, banners, and other materials needed to successfully promote the census to the UT Martin students.

The 2010 census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every U.S. households throughout February and March 2010. You must record accurate information of your household as of April 1, 2010. This date, is also the last day to submit your information. The Census Bureau must count everyone and submit all state totals to the U.S. President by Dec. 31, 2010.

See Weakley County Press Article

The 32nd Annual Area Collegiate Chemistry Meeting, co-sponsored by Murray State University and UT Martin

The 32nd Annual Area Collegiate Chemistry Meeting, co-sponsored by Murray State University and UT Martin Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society, recently was held in Murray. American Chemical Society president-elect Dr. Joseph Francisco was the keynote speaker. Twenty- one UT Martin students and faculty attended the meeting, and six UT Martin students presented research papers. Left to right, front row, are James K. Griffin, Casey M. Ellington, Elizabeth A. Abernathy, Christy R. Lowe, Kayla A. Poindexter, Kayla Baker, Punam Patel, Tiffany Brewer (presenter), Carolyn U. Nguyen (presenter), Lauren Bivens (presenter), Kiran G. Vaswani (presenter) and Dr. S.K. Airee (SAACS adviser); back row, Cory L. Jones, Dr. Paul Higgs, Ashish J. Patel, Bradley A. Bugg (presenter), ACS president-elect Dr. Joseph S. Francisco, Robert H. Mitchell and Dr. Charles R. Thomas, Department of Chemistry chair. Not pictured are Dr. Jozsef Devenyi, associate professor of chemistry; Dr. James Smart, assistant professor of chemistry; and Brandi Griggs (presenter).

UT Martin Rotaract Club Teddy Bear Drive

April 15, 2009

I’m sure we all remember our favorite stuffed animal, doll, or blanket that we had as a child. Most of us carried them everywhere and used it as a security blanket or a best friend. The UT Martin Rotaract Club wanted to make sure that the children in our area had a chance to experience the love we all had as a child with our stuffed animals. During February and March they had a campus and community wide teddy bear drive and collected 150 bears. These stuffed animals will be used by various agencies in Gibson and Weakley County and in Kentucky that work with children who have gone through a crisis. The Rotaract Club would like to thank all those who donated a stuffed animal. You have helped to put a smile on a child’s face and make their life a little better during tough times.

~Ashley Niven, UTM Rotaract Club President

WALK N ROLL for Special Needs

Our event is sponsored by SSWA organization here at UTM and is hosted by PALS organization in the community. PALS stands for Preparing for Abundant Life for Special Needs Children and their families. The group is affiliated with The Sheppard's Field Church in Martin. They offer free trainings for parents about the rights of disabled children and how to plan Individualized Education Plans for children in school, as well as fun play time for the children.
We have decided the September 5 from 10 -2 here at the campus Quad will be the time and place for a walk a thon entitled: WALK N ROLL for Special Needs. We plan on having booths to give parents information about local resources, such as the Star Center, TEIS, and Head Start and Early Head Start. We also are arranging crafts and games for the children to play, such as pumpkin and ghord painting, and face painting, yoyo balls, bubble blowing, and sidewalk chalk. There are opportunities for meals and snacks to be purchased at the event. And we are combining efforts with the local Firestation and Police Department to perform safety seat checks and other demonstrations.
The families with special needs children will be walking to raise awareness and funds that have been donated by local businesses for the walk. The general public is also able to walk with any dollar amount donation they would like to present PALS.
We would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give us toward this event.
Thank you
Lacey Howard
731-587-8782

Walk for Clean Water

I just wanted to remind you guys about the students vs. faculty karaoke night on Friday, April 3 from 7 to 9 pm in Watkins. Admission is $5, and this is an event hosted by Tri-Beta. I hope to see everyone there, as this is one of our main fundraisers.
Also, on Saturday, April 4 is the Walk for Clean Water. Please, PLEASE come participate in this if at all possible! It's from 1 to 3 pm in the quad. All you have to do is show up and sign your name, then walk one mile around the quad. For every person who participates, the band Hanson will donate $1 to building a clean water well in Africa. We're really hoping to raise at least $500, so please come out for that. If the weather is bad, we'll be meeting in the field house. Thanks so much, and I hope to see you at both events!

~Brandi Griggs, Tri-Beta President

SAACS has done it again.

The UTM SAACS have won the outstanding chapter award and the green chemistry award again this year. We seemed to take this for granted every year but their work has paid off. I have attached some pictures that I picked out from the national meeting in Salt Lake City. Congratulations!

National Association Media Field Trip

The National Association of Black Journalists will be traveling to Nashville next month to visit several different Media Corporations. NABJ is an organization on the UTM campus that focuses on students who are aspiring journalists, writers, and broadcasters. NABJ president Marty Conley feels that the best experience is field experience. The group will travel to Nashville on Friday April 10, 2009 to take a series of tours. First they will visit WSM radio in which they will receive a tour and have a question and answer session with the workers in order to learn more about the day-to-day operations of a radio station. After that, they will visit News Channel 5 for a station tour and will see how a live news production is coordinated. The group is very excited about the field trip because it will give them a chance to be able to get an in-depth look into the fields that interest them. Also, they will be able to speak with professionals and get tips on how to be successful in the broadcasting business once they finish college.
Marty Conley

The 2009 Brian Brown Memorial 5K and 1 mile Fun Walk

The 2009 Brian Brown Memorial 5K and 1 mile Fun Walk will be held Saturday, April 18 at 9 a.m. at the Elam Center at University of Tennessee at Martin. Proceeds benefit the Brian brown Memorial Greenway Project and the UT Martin SHAPE Club.

The course runs through the UTM campus.

Pre-registration received before April 11th is $12 (day of race, $15). Pre-registration ensures proper t-shirt size. Prizes will be awarded in multiple age divisions.

Make checks payable to UTM Shape Club, 3006 Elam Center. Martin TN 38237. For more information, visit the website at www.utm.edu/departments.cebs/hhp/SHAPEClub.php.

The Collegiate Bass Anglers travelled to Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, FL on Saturday February 28th to compete in the first ever National Guard FLW College Fishing event of the circuit’s Southeast Division. The day was very promising and the team was filled with excitement as UT Martin landed 6th place out of a forty-boat field.

Valentine's Day and Contact Sports

The Skyhawk Rugby Club recently hosted their second home game on February 14th vs. TN Tech. This game comes after the Skyhawks travel to the University of Memphis to crush them 17 to 0. In case you are new to rugby, it is similar to football, without the pads and helmets, but with a non-stop soccer pace. There are 15 players who play constantly for an entire game of two 40-minute halves and a five-minute intermission. Any football fan, girl or guy, can appreciate the game. The club team is relatively new in their first year of competition. This rag-tag collection of college students, with all levels of experience, from veterans to rookies, have generated a lot of interest in rural West Tennessee. According to head coach, Dr. Paul Higgs, "We also have several new people who have never played before. They have all done extremely well." Although the Skyhawks barely lose their home game 12 to 16, they continue to improve on the road at Freed-Hardeman on February 28th. The Rugby Clubs plans to have future games against teams like: Vanderbilt, Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, Hopkinsville’s Men’s Team and MTSU.

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research

The distinguished women of American Association of University Women boldly stand together in unity, as they strive to increase confidence amongst one another. One of their primary goals is to prove that women across the globe hold a significant stance in society. While nationally founded in 1881, members examine the fundamental issues of the day, such as educational, social, economic, and political. Representing all races of every nation, they consistently work to break the barriers of discrimination. The AAUW Foundation places emphasis upon advancing educational and professional opportunities for women of the United States and around the globe. Each year, the foundation provides $4 million in fellowships, grants, and awards for excelling women and community projects. Currently, the Association has 1,000 branches and 500 college/university institution partners worldwide.
With one of these institutions being the University of Tennessee at Martin, our intentions are aimed towards the same goals locally. Initially, AAUW was founded on the campus of UTM in 2007, but as a group, we are constantly acquiring new members and wish to expound upon these number of members. In the previous semester of 2008, one of our primary objectives was raising money for women who were victims of domestic violence. However, this semester of 2009 we are preparing for the AAUW conference occurring in March, as well as fulfilling outside agendas dealing with women’s issues. In addition, we seek to expound our diversity, being adaptable to nationalities of all kinds.
AAUW meets every other Thursday at 7:00pm in the Media Services Area of the Library. For more information contact;
Sponsor: Earlene Moore: 731-881-7067
Email: ejmoore@utm.edu
President: Leslea Robertson
Email: leslrobe@utm.edu
Director of Recruitment: Desteni Leakes
Email: descleak@utm.edu

Vegetarian society Ice Storm Victims Can food Drive

As you probably know, the recent ice storm and weather conditions have hit many people hard, leaving them without electricity, housing, food, and other necessities.
Our local We Care Ministries is struggling to provide food not only to Weakley county residents, but to those coming from Fulton, South Fulton, and other many other areas. Vegetarian society started a mass, campus-wide food drive to collect food for We Care and the Kentucky ice storm victims, with the help of all students and student organizations.
Items collected included non-perishable or canned goods, especially beans, pastas and sauces, soups, granola bars, cereals, oatmeal, peanut butter, crackers, canned fruits and veggies, and even pet food.
The some food that was collected was delivered to Murray State University, and then distributed around Calloway Co. Many families that received the supplies were without water and electricity for almost a month. Many of the families that received the supplies work for Murray State University. One family’s apartment had caught on fire during the storm, and because there was also no water at the time, they lost everything. Help from student organizations such as the vegetarian society, helped to reach these families that were in desperate need.

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry “What’s the buzz on the B? ”

From eating together on Thursday’s at noon to worshiping together on Tuesday’s at the “B,” the
Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) is a place where everyone is wel- come. Located at 112 Hurt Street, next to Bradley Bookstore, the BCM accepts students of all ethnic backgrounds and denominations. With numerous ministry oppor- tunities for individuals, the BCM holds weekly activities open to all students alongside other activities on campus. With numerous min- istry opportunities for individuals, the BCM holds weekly activities open to all students. Brad Winter, a UTM student, is one of a group of BCM students who spent a week of winter break in New Orleans, participating in mission work. “It was fun…,” Winter said. “I met a lot of new friends from other colleges in the West Tennessee area like Jackson State [Community College] and the University of Memphis.” Members of BCMs in this area went to assist in repairing Avondale Baptist Church, a church that was dam- aged and repaired after Hurricane Katrina, but was unfortunately damaged again after recent tropical weather. “That was my second mission trip with the BCM, and I would definitely go next year,” said Clint Mealer, another UTM student who participated in this mission trip. An upcoming mission trip in Panama City Beach, FL is BEACH
REACH, “where college students and leaders come together to share the love of Jesus through servant evangelism to Spring Breakers who are desperately searching for meaning to life.” Morgan “MO” Owen, campus minister at the BCM, loves seeing students get excited about things that he says excites God. “My personal goal for the BCM is for students to come to know Christ, find their place in the Kingdom of God, and grow in their relationship with Christ,” MO said. “Everyone’s looking for acceptance and reason for being, and I believe they can find the answers at the BCM.” For more information about the Baptist Col- legiate Ministry, call
731-587-2265 or visit the website at www.ut-martinbcm.org.
~Ke’Van Yarbrough

Tuesdays:“714” (worship service) 7:14 p.m.
Wednesdays: Life Groups (Bible Studies)
Thursdays: 12:00 p.m. Lunch and Devo.
Fridays: KALEO: (gathering of those who feel called into Ministry-starting Jan. 30) 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Mondays:Life Groups (Bible Studies) 7:00PM

UTM Recycles! will hold Recycling Event

UTM Recycles! Will hold a recycling event on Saturday, February 7 from 8:00 – 1:00 at its new collection facility in the old National Guard Armory maintenance building. Look for the big warehouse.Volunteers will be on hand to help with unloading and sorting the material. If you have not seen the new facility, the members of UTM Recycles! invite you to come out and see the new space and learn how the group is promoting recycling in the community, such as organizing
a recycling competition among local boy scout dens and among student organizations at UT Martin. Sign-in sheets will be available for volunteers needing documentation of community service hours. Excepted materials include paper and card- board, aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastics of any kind, steel cans and other scrap metal, eye glasses, used clothing in good shape, cell phones, rechargeable batteries, and ink cartridges. Partners and sponsors of UTM Recycles! include the American Democracy Project, the UTM College of Humanities and Fine Arts, the UTM Physical Plant, Sodexo, and UTM student organizations including the Agronomy Club, Tri-Beta, and Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society.
For more information on recycling at UT-Martin, contact:
Dennis Kosta, manager of custodial services
881-7640 or
dkosta@utm.edu.