139113 SRU Mag Back NEW - Slippery Rock University

‘Rock the 80s’ homecoming
draws crowd, showcases
revitalized downtown
More than 500 alumni returned for
homecoming this year, enjoying the newly
revitalized downtown. SRU’s Marching
Band snaked through town on its way to
the football stadium, followed by floats and
the homecoming court.
Students voted Preston Gibbs, a business
major from Hermitage, king and Kristen
Cannon, a resort management/tourism
major from Verona, queen.
The $4.3 million in central business
district improvements included new street
lights, sidewalks, roadways and removal of
overhead utility lines.
NEWS FROM
Junior high students to hone
leadership skills at SRU
Medical supplies
drive under way for
humanitarian trip to
Dominican Republic
34 The Rock Winter 2005
Leadership Butler County, a nonprofit organization, paid
for the new “Whale Watch” station at SRU’s Leadership
Reaction Course. Teams step atop a large board that
teeters, then learn teamwork to avoid falling off. At a
recent dedication were (from left) Dr. James Kushner,
SRU’s dean of Lifelong Learning, President Smith, Ruth
Purcell, director of university advancement, Leadership
Butler County’s Bill Rooker and Stan Kosciuszko, president
of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce.
When a group of Butler County
professionals experienced the SRU
Leadership Reaction Course, they in turn
contributed $1,500 so Butler Junior High
School students could benefit. Leadership
Butler County gave $1,500 to the Butler
Junior High School’s Starfish Program, as
well as $2,500 to sponsor the “Whale
Watch” station at SRU’s Leadership
Reaction Course.
The Starfish Program, run by the
students, provides leadership and
mentorship opportunities to promote
leadership from within. Starfish students
will train at SRU as a result of the
contribution, said Bill Rooker, a board
member of Leadership Butler County.
SRU’s course, modeled after an Army
leadership course at Ft. Benning, Ga., teaches
teamwork, communication and problemsolving
through 14 outdoor activities.
Students of color find
success through ‘Harambee
Summit’
The Western Pennsylvania Diversity
Consortium hosted its first Harambee
Summit on campus this fall as part of an
educational conference helping students of
color find success at predominantly white
colleges and universities.
SRU nursing instructor Gretchen Schumacher (in
Dominican Republic a year ago) returns to the country in
March to deliver medical supplies and provide health care
in rural villages. Undergraduate and graduate nursing
students will travel with her.
SRU nursing faculty Gretchen
Schumacher and Kerry Risco and
undergraduate and graduate nursing
students launched a campuswide medical
supplies collection drive this fall for their
second visit to the Dominican Republic,
where they will deliver medicine and
provide health care to rural villagers.
The trip is part of classes that include an
international component during spring
break. Undergraduate and graduate
nursing students will provide primary and
wellness care.
“This trip will help students to identify
health care issues in diverse populations
then, upon their return to the U.S.
students will have the opportunity to
transfer and use this knowledge in their
clinical setting,” Schumacher said.
The term “Harambee” is Swahili for
“let’s pull together,” said DaNine Fleming,
director of SRU’s Office of Intercultural
Programs. Students came together to
educate themselves on how to contribute
to the well-being of their world and elevate
their minds to enhance both their inner
and outer world and empower them to be
more proactive and strive to live in
harmony with all others.