VoLuMe Liii
iSSue Xii
SuMMer 2012
Bring Ryan Vermette home: Fundraiser Study abroad student struck by a car in Cape Town, South Africa By Lacey Nemergut newS editor
On April 4, Ryan Vermette, a Bentley University student studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa was hit suddenly by an oncoming motor vehicle, sustaining serious injuries to his spinal cord. Due to significant damage and pressing need for extensive rehabilitation, the cost of his safe transportation back to his home in Yarmouthport, Massachusetts poses a sub-
stantial financial burden for his loving family. Vermette is currently a junior in with a major in Global Studies and concentration in ethics and management. Vermette had spent a majority of his summer volunteering in Ghana in coordination with a farming NGO for two months. “While in South Africa, he volunteered to help students with math and science homework with an organization called SHAWCO,” said class-
Vermette is studying abroad in Cape Town this semester, and spent time in Ghana last semester.
Courtesy of facebook.com
mate and friend Mark DiMaggio. In an effort to raise the necessary funds for Vermette’s highly anticipated return, Vermette’s friends and family have joined together to create the “Bring Ryan Home Fund”. “We are asking for donated items to be raffled at a Family BBQ fundraiser to be held,” reads a flyer detailing information of the event. “I dont think there has been a more influential person in my life,” said DiMaggio. He is the best person that I have ever met.” In addition to his closest friends, Vermette has touched the lives of many. “For those who may not know Ryan, he is an amazing young adult who has touched so many lives. He always strives to be the best he can be and is always willing to put others first before himself,” reads the Bring Ryan Home Fund flyer. “It is this caring and passionate personality that sent him to South Africa.” See RYAN, Page 6
Spring day: months of planning on CAB’s part
Courtesy of Patrick Maguire
CAB worked tirelessly to get as much student input as possible.
By Brenna O’Connell CaMPuS Life editor
The countdown to Spring Day began as soon as we returned from spring break, but few students are realizing what exactly they are counting down to. This year, CAB has made it their mission to provide the best possible experience to the students and to
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AIRLINES
the company has found a way to keep oil prices low
outdo all years previous. “This is shaping up to be the best spring day we’ve had so far,” said traditions co-chair Mitch Hadfield. “This year, we tried to revamp the whole Spring Day process to get more student input. The past decisions were made taking into account as much student opinion as possible, but we wanted a really for-
mal, concrete way of getting student input and running the statistics on it,” said concert committee co-chair Greg Kokino. CAB sent out a survey that got a generalized overview of some artists students were interested in as well as the genres students want to see. See CAB, Page 5
www.bentLeyVanguard.CoM
Service Learning revamping its program to offer more to current business students
The BSLC has over 50 community partners.
By Rachel Wang Vanguard Staff
As Bentley strives to offer the highest quality education to its student body, the Bentley Service-Learning Center (BSLC) is revamping its program to give students more opportunities to serve their community while further exploring their academic interests. Dr. Edward Zlotkowski, Director of the Center and a Professor in the English and Media Studies Department, is eager to introduce the new and exciting innovations the program will see next semester. The service-learning program was started back in 1991 by Dr. Zlotkowski with the purpose of connecting business-oriented students with community organizations that needed various kinds of assistance. The experience outside of the Bentley campus was meant to link what students learned inside the classroom to issues in the real world, “preparing students for citizenship as well as a career.” Year after year, this program still receives countless undergraduates eager to work more closely with their community. Its success can mostly be attributed to the fact that even with incredibly busy schedules, students are given the chance to constructively spend their time at a job or cause they believe in while earning a 4th-credit and gaining invaluable skills. The manage-
ment and structure of the BSLC allow for constant feedback across all parties involved and with that the program grows every day through positive referrals. Today, more than 50 community partners are affiliated with the service-learning program and more than 600 students have demonstrated their desire to serve in community projects this year alone. With all this success, Dr. Zlotkowski is still looking to perfect the program by further developing the quality of the relationships established between community partners and Bentley. “We want to improve the program’s ability to contribute to students’ academic learning, personal development and civic engagement,” said Dr. Zlotkowski. In order to do so, the program is now working more closely with professors and departments involved to get the best sense of the kind of work courses can offer. Traditionally, many of the service projects have been geared towards tutoring of some kind, but Dr. Zlotkowski wants to offer students more chances to work on businessrelated initiatives, including accounting, finance, marketing opportunities and more. In some ways service-learning resembles an internship, but there are important differences. The first difference is See BSLC, Page 6
SUMMER TV LINE UP 15 M E N ’ S a look at our favorite television networks RUGBY Headed to the 10 PAUL F. TOMPKINS national champi9
Comedy’s longstanding class act
onship again
Police Log 2 Counseling Tip 2 Cartoon 4 Voices 8 & 9 Horoscopes 12 Falcon of The Week 16
Courtesy of albany.edu