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MEET the new members of the multicultural staff on page 4 Meet elo Taylor D’Ang
Meet Candace Fairer
Meet Cesar Barrios
T h u r s d a y, A u g u s t 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 7 i s s u e 2
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Photo by kayla hands | The Shield
Students walking to class often pass by bulletin boards like these filled with information about upcoming events and important information for on campus events.
Upperclassmen encourage ‘quality’ involvement by Gabi wy features@usishield.com @GabiCWy
Freshman Clifton Jett wanted to join “everything” college had to offer. The day before classes started, he spoke at the first Christian service offered by university Religious Life. He feels he belongs at the multicultural center, and as a theatre major, he’s auditioning for his first USI Theatre production today. Jett has yet to explore the Involvement Fair Wednesday and discover even more opportunities. However, Jett said Student Government Association President Ashley Wright’s speech at Convocation made him reconsider how much he takes on right away. Wright, a junior business administration major, told the Class of 2020 at their introduction ceremony to “get involved,” but not “too much.”
opinion@usishield.com @MeganRThorne
Destiny Matthews knew she wanted to teach kids from a young age. She would get papers from school and would hand them out to her Barbie dolls and teddy bears and pretend she was a teacher. “I’ve always had a passion for kids,” the freshman English teaching major said. Matthews said she hopes she will be accepted into the College Mentors for Kids Program this semester. The program assigns student mentors with children from the Glenwood Leadership Academy from three to five every Tuesday, where they learn about higher education, community service and cultural diversity. “I want to deal with kids and I’ve always wanted to give back to the community,” Matthews said. “So this is my chance to give back.” Matthews said she likes that the program has diversity and different types of kids. “I like to do different
No one can be Superman Last semester, Wright was involved in five of the more than 140 student organizations on campus. Since she’s taken on the role of SGA President, she’s taken the focus down to that leadership position. “You hit that moment where you’ve been doing so much that you say, ‘Something needs to change,’” she said. “You have to find that perfect
balance in order to get the full college experience without stressing out.” Wright said she really wanted freshmen to know she understood how hard it is to first, get involved, but then to not overcommit themselves. “It makes me feel good if that speech helped at least one person,” she said. Senior Evan Stieler said it’s “fantastic” how enthusiastic the freshman are in getting involved on campus, but he stressed the importance of academics and staying healthy. In his past three years, the biology major has been involved in organizations such as SGA, the Honors Executive Board and Student Ambassadors. Stieler is the current student representative serving on the Board of Trustees, and he also was a Resident Assistant in Ruston Hall for two years. His senior year, he’s cut down to his trustee position, the honors executive board and Student Ambassadors.
INVOLVEMENT, PAGE 3
Students pair with ‘little buddies,’ serve community by megan thorne
“Before (Wright) said that, I did think I had to get involved in everything,” Jett said. “She was teaching me a lesson---that I don’t have to get too involved to make an impact.” He said now, his “whole purpose” is to create balance with his involvement and other responsibilities. “I’m still exploring clubs and organizations,” Jett said, “but I’m taking what (Wright said) into consideration.”
things and meet different people from different cities and states,” she said. Jessie Archer, a freshman early childhood education major, said she completed a program in high school similar to College Mentors for Kids and wanted to see what it was about. Archer said she wants to join the group so she can make kids’ lives a little better. “I just love little kids,” Archer said. Claire Ford, a senior food and nutrition major with a specialty in dietetics, has been with the program since her freshman year. “I got involved because one of my sorority sisters was the president at the time,” Ford said. “I moved up from being a mentor to being activities director, and now this is my second year as president.” Ford said she does a lot of database work and works with hiring the mentors and making sure the program runs smoothly. The program involves 40 students a year and all mentors have to go through online and oncampus training.
Mentors for kids, PAGE 3
National award motivates fraternity
Photo COURTESY of KEGAN MILLER
Lambda Chi Alpha sets up a table to advertise for the annual Teeter Totter event last spring. The fraternity draws interest to the actual fundraising event on Green River Road.
by GABI WY features@usishield.com @GabiCWy
When Lambda Chi Alpha president Kegan Miller heard the USI chapter of the fraternity had received the prestigious Grand Phi Alpha award, he was “blown away.” The senior mechanical engineering major traveled to Miami, Florida, with two other chapter brothers for
the national Lambda Chi Alpha general assembly meeting the first week of August. He said the three of them never expected to be recognized for the highest award given to a chapter for operating excellence. “Six or seven years ago, our chapter was in a bad spot,” Miller said. “Moving forward, we became a reputable chapter focusing on philanthropy. This award is now fuel for us to continue improving.” As the current president, Miller said
he and his fraternity brothers will not use the award simply for bragging rights, but to motivate current members to actively recruit. “We’re not just a good time, we’re values-based,” he said. “We focus on philanthropies. The fraternities as a whole have an average GPA of 3.19, when the campus average for men is only a 2.97. Lambda Chi Alpha has been higher than that for three semesters.”
Grand phi alpha award , PAGE 5