Mortar Board Newsletter Der Hexenkreis Chapter MAY 2016
Dear Mortar Board Alumni,
As the spring semester finally comes to a close, I am very excited to update you all on the events of the past few months. During winter break, our application for the 125th Tapping Class launched with continued advertisement until early February. This year we had over 200 applicants for our newest tapping class, and after a long and difficult weekend of selections, we welcomed 37 members to the 125th Tapping Class with enthusiasm. We were pleased to host Dr. Shawkat Toorawa as our Last Lecture speaker this semester. Most widely known as “Dr. T” on campus, Dr. Toowara is an Associate Professor of Arabic Literature and Islamic Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Studies and widely known for hosting “The dr.T ProjecT: A Cornell HiTchhiker’s Guide to CulTure.” We also continued efforts to co-sponsor events and support fellow campus leaders by promoting their work. Most notably, Mortar Board co-sponsored Cornell’s 2nd Sexual Assault Awareness Week (SAAW). This week of events brings together a wide range of communities to foster dialogue about the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. Mortar Board members worked hard to promote the events and attend them throughout the week. Overall, the week was extremely successful. At the end of the semester, hosted a staff reception with keynote speaker Mary Opperman, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. The reception thanked staff members who may not necessarily receive the appreciation and recognition that they deserve for all the hard work they commit to this university and its students. We hope this event will become a larger, recurring event for our future tapping classes. I am very proud of the effort that the 124th Tapping Class has put into advancing our already remarkable chapter. Our main goals this past year were to increase our involvement in campus affairs and create a broader base for the service aspect of our chapter. I can confidently say that we have made great strides in both of these respects, and I have full confidence that the 125th Tapping Class will only continue these efforts with even greater success. I am very thankful to have been able to serve as the president of the 124th Tapping Class. As I told everyone at our final meeting of the year, Mortar Board’s mission statement includes “providing opportunities for continued leadership development” for its members. My fellow 124s gave me the greatest opportunity to fulfill this aspect of our organization when they elected me to serve as their president for this year, and for that I will be forever grateful. I wish our graduating seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors, and I wish the 125th Tapping Class continued success next year. Ad Der Hexenkreis, Rebecca Powers, President
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