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Ë Į î Ë Ĺ Þ vÇ v TļĹ ¦õĩĹºĩ Tàį¤ 125th YEAR | ISSUE 18 @REFLECTORONLINE f /REFLECTORONLINE
OCTOBER 22, 2013
TUESDAY
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
CASLE takes study beyond classroom with servicelearning BY KIMBERLY MURRIEL Staff Writer
Mississippi State University’s new office, the Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence, opened its doors for operation this August to incorporate service-learning to increase community engagement. CASLE, which was established in January, is a partnership between the Academic Affairs Office of the Provost and Extension Service. April Heiselt, director of CASLE, said CASLE was created to incorporate academic research through service-learning. “Service-learning is conducting meaningful community service and linking it to academic course objectives,” Heiselt said Heiselt said service-learning involves community engagement, reflection, reciprocity and public dissemination. “When we are talking about community engagement, we’re looking at kind of how a class bridges the campus border or bridging the gap,” Heiselt said. “It’s pretty much bringing everybody in the commu-
nity space, thus bridging the gap. For example, in engineering sweet potatoes they (industrial engineering students) are going all the way out to the NOELLE AVENMARG | COURTESY PHOTO farm so clearly, they are bridg- Senior Ann Claire Blakely works with high schooler Laglotrice Jordan during a project called “body walk,” which allowed ing the gap.” Heiselt said reflection is also high school students to study major organs. The bodywalk was a component of service-learning classes at MSU. a big part of service-learning. “The student, of course, is dent Association director of “The hyphen in the word being taught, so most of the Governmental Relations, is a service-learning connects time at the end of the semester, student representative on the service learning with reflec- students do presentations,” CASLE’s advisory committee. tion. Without reflection, you Heiselt said. “For example, “I evaluate the development are doing the service and the with sweet potato engineering, of CASLE program from a learning but no connection. the students are going to have student’s perspective and kind So we require reflections from a chance to present and share of be the students’ voice as it students. Each faculty mem- information they’ve learned develops into a full program,” ber has their students reflect in with farmers.” Hardman said. “I try to give a very unique way according Heiselt said the last element, the committee a real view of to their discipline,” she said. public dissemination, is where what the students are going to Heiselt said one of the information obtained through think about the program and graphic arts instructors re- service-learning is shared with how to get them involved.” quires her students to draw the public. Heiselt said CASLE is still their reflections and write in “We publicly put out and working on getting students a booklet each week instead share research information involved, and she encourages of using computers. Hei- whether it’s through libraries students to communicate with selt also said some classes do or having students from one their professors to bring serlarge focus-group reflections class go talk to other classes so vice-learning components to where students talk about that everyone gets to have ac- the classroom. their reflections from their cess to information,” she said. “Ask your professors and service-learning project for the CASLE has an advisory faculty,” she said. “Look first 10 minutes of class. committee made up of facul- around and see where you feel Heiselt said the third el- ty from many departments so like would be a great project NOELLE AVENMARG | COURTESY PHOTO ement, reciprocity, is where service-learning can reach a to get students involved in, everyone involved in ser- wide variety of students of dif- because students have a lot of The Center for Advanced Service Learning Excellence vice-learning projects gets to ferent majors. great ideas and can bring a lot provides tutoring opportunities for Starkville youth. be both teacher and learner. Caleb Hardman, senior Stu- to the table.”
IMPACT project provides special education on campus BY JAMIE ALLEN Staff Writer
Since 1999, Project Impact, an early intervention project housed in the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability at Mississippi State University, has served the needs of children with disabilities as well as educating parents and caregivers of these children. IMPACT stands for Insuring Mississippi Parents and Children Tomorrows, which is the goal of the project. It focuses primarily on readying children to enter kindergarten at the same level as the rest of the students. Jessica Cunningham, assistant teacher at Project IMPACT, said this program provides services to children from three-months-old to five-years-old. It provides free assessments as well as speech, occupational and physical therapy, special instruction and interventions. “We try to catch the children up in any way we can until they start kindergarten. We work not only on their
ABCs, but also on their social skills,” Cunningham said. “We also educate parents. Most of the parents have never had a special needs child, so we try to be a resource for the parents.” Before accepting children into the program, an assessment team assesses the child in five main areas including cognitive, motor, language, self-help and personal/social. The child must score 70 percent or below in three of these areas to be accepted into the program. Once in the program, a child may be put into a class with one of three main teachers — Elizabeth Williams or Traci Campbell, who are both early childhood special educators, or Christan Toney who is a speech and language pathologist. Campbell said one of her EMMA KATHERINE HUTTO | THE REFLECTOR main goals is to know at the end of the day that she IMPACT project teacher, Jessie Cunningham, assists a child gave her students her all. She with disabilities at the T.K. Martin Center during playtime. said she enjoys seeing the students make progress and to work with our young peers and show them and make an impact on a family’s students who come to us their families they can learn already developmentally be- and they can make progress,” life. “I am blessed to be able hind their typical developing Campbell said.
and also reach out to men and highlight gray areas that men get breast cancer, too,” WhBreast cancer awareness is not alum said. “Not a lot of men are aware that they are subject just for women. Mississippi State Univer- to get breast cancer as well.” Hinton sity’s National said she will Pa n - He l l e n i c The program discuss breast Council fratercancer statisnities Omega will teach tics, common Psi Phi and Alwomen risk factors pha Phi Alpha how to give and signs and will host a breast symptoms of cancer aware- self-tests and also ness program at reach out to men and the disease at the program. 6 p.m. Tuesday highlight gray areas “My goal is in McCool Hall that men will get for program room 111. attendees to D a V o n t a breast cancer, too. take away Whalum, trea- Not a lot of men are some new surer of the aware that they are knowledge Kappa Beta chapter of Alpha subject to get breast about breast cancer,” Phi Alpha said cancer as well.” Hinton said. the program, ti- - DaVonta Whalum, I hope tled “Old Gold treasurer of Alpha Phi “Also, that people for a Cure,” will will utilize feature guest Alpha the risk-lowspeaker Laura ering and Hinton, a graduate assistant from the Longest early detection strategies and be more aware of how breast Student Health Center. “The program will teach cancer can affect an individuwomen how to give self-tests al.”
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READER’S GUIDE BAD DAWGS OPINION CONTACT INFO BULLETIN BOARD
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Breast cancer awareness program highlights risks
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