student Leaders at Meredith:
How to Get Involved and Be
Effective in Your Position
Mary Baines, staff writer
There are ihany opportunities for stu
dents to get involved at Meredith Col
lege, especially if they take an interest
in one of the many student clubs and
organizations. Below are a few ways for
student leaders to get involved and be
effective in their position.
Why Be a Student Leader? Direc
tor of Student Leadership and Service,
Cheiyl Jenkins explains that “it is
valuable to be a student leader because
you gain skills that you need for life
and your career. You gain skills in
teamwork, communication, initiative
and analytical skills that help you to
be more marketable to employers. You
also feel more connected to Meredith
College and make valuable contribu
tions to the ‘life of the
College’ and to your
community.” She
elaborates that “some
of the best qualities
or skills needed by an
effective student leader
are delegating re-,
sponsibilities or tasks,
being a good listener
and having a passion
for what that student is doing.” The Of
fice of Student Leadership and Service
can aid students in their goal to be an
effective student leader by showing
students what organizations currently
have a presence on campus in addition
to many of the programs they offer
through their office.
Get Involved in an Organiza
tion: If you have passion for an orga
nization that is currently on campus
you should take initiative to get in
volved. By playing an active role in an
organization, you can make the move
to being an officer and a larger leader
within the organization giving you a
bigger presence on campus. If you do
not know where to start but are longing
to get involved, turn to the back of your
student planner or pull up the student
handbook found on Ae Meredith web
site and take a look at all the opportu
nities available. With over 90 clubs and
organizations and seven intercollegiate
athletic teams, there are many ways to
become a leader on campus.
Annual Programs Offered
Through the Office of Student
Leadership and Service: The Office
of Student Leadership and Service is
dedicated to aiding students as they en
hance both their passion for leadership
and their desire for service. To assist
students in their leadership develop
ment, the office has designed several
programs that take place eveiy year.
These programs include Sloan Leader
ship Circle, Emerging Leaders Seminar
Series and the LeaderShape Institute.
The Sloan Leadership Circle serves as
an opportunity for students to delve
deeper into concepts of leadership and
social change and is offered in the fall
semester. TTie Emerging Leaders Semi
nar Series is designed to help students
develop a better understanding of their
own leadership skills and aid them in
expanding their understanding of lead
ership concepts. This
'*Som6 of the best quali- series is offered at the
ties or skills needed by an beginning of the spring
effective student leader semester. The Leader-
are delegating responsi-
bihties or tasks, being a ^ized six-day leader-
good listener and having ship program that
a passion for what that is available to many
student is doing.” academic institutions.
Participants delve into
their own passion for how they envi
sion a change in the world and work
towards creating a vision and a plan to
create change. The LeaderShape Insti
tute takes place at the end of the spring
semester.
Sophie Lanneau Women’s Lead
ership Development Program:
Sophie Lanneau is a program that
allows students to work in conjunction
with other programs offered by the Of
fice of Student Leadership and Service
while working to increase ones knowl
edge in areas of leadership, specifically
on the personal, group, and commu
nity levels. Cheiyl Jenkins notes that
“In this program students can earn
levels of recognition (Foundations of
Leadership, Silver Leaf and Gold Leaf)
by completing various requirements.
Many of these requirements can be
fulfilled by participating in annual
programs such as Emerging Leaders
Seminar, the LeaderShape Institute
and the Sloan Family Student Leader
ship Programs 0ike the spring break
trip and the Leadership Circle).” She
encourages students to get involved
in these programs for they can assist
students in becoming better leaders.
Sustainability (cont)
be as sustainable as they claim.
Belk Dining Hslll has pioneered
many initiatives to increase campus
dining sustainability. According to
Food Service Director, Scott Lamond,
Belk Dining Hall was able to compost
161,725 pounds of food scraps in one
year. Food Services staff also supply
students with reusable take out trays
and cups.
Looking at the community impact
of the food served in the dining hall,
the dining services website states that
five to 10 percent of the food is locally
grown. However, they define “lo
cally grown” as North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and
Virginia. While transporting food from
these locations emits less carbon than
buying food internationally, it still has
a negative impact on the environment.
As for the small percentage locally
grown, Lamond reports that “We are
always trying to increase that percent
age. We are currently working on a
local purchasing plan to do so, and we
participate in the Goodness Grows in
N.C. campaign.”
Energy used to produce the food
in the dining hall and utilities across
campus is another factor in Meredith’s
environmental impact. The dining
hall uses gas for energy, while the rest
of campus uses natural gas, coal and
nuclear energy. Nathan Holder, the
Meredith College Energy Manager
from Advanced Energy, reports that
“In terms of clean energy, Meredith
has looked into solar thermal panels
for heating water, as well as solar PV
panels for powering exterior lighting.
Some clean energy projects can be
very cost effective, whereas some clean
energy projects can cost substantially
more. Also, clean energy projects
sometimes cost more initially but have
a lower life cycle cost... and produce
energy many years in the future.”
Holder argues that “the biggest
strategy that colleges can do now to
cut down on energy usage without
any investment or cost, is to turn any
device off when it is not in use; such
as office/classroom/residence hall
lights, office equipment, etc.” Most
classrooms’ lights are turned off at the
end of the day, but many are still left
on, emitting unnecessaiy carbon each
year. Many hallway lights in buildings
and dorms are also left on throughout
the night. The fluorescent lights used
and require less energy than other
types of lights, but Holder presses that
the “’greenest’ energy’ is the energy
that is NOT used.'”
From Afghanistan to
Meredith College
Marzia Nawrozi, staff writer
Reflection - My arrival to Meredith
College was, and still is, a dream come
true for me. I have learned so much
from my professors and have made so
many good fnends here. In so many
ways, Meredith College has become
my home.-1 do not, after all, get to
travel home on breaks, and I do not
speak with my family very often.
In Afghanistan, it is very difficult for
a woman to leave home alone to pur
sue an education in the United States.
The selection process for the oppor
tunity to be a part of the Initiative to
Educate Afghan Women is extremely
competitive, and that hurdle was noth
ing compared to the struggle I had
with my family to get their approval
for me to leave Afghanistan. Even now
my family has to hide the truth about
my whereabouts from relatives and
others for security reasons.
When I compare myself now to
the first day I came to Meredith, I see
that I have changed a lot. Meredith
has made me a better person with
improved ideas and more confidence.
I also have a visible and valuable keep
sake: my class ring. I love my onyx; it
is a symbol of success, independence,
pride and friendship. My onyx rep
resents the wonderful result of the
risks I took to get my education and
my four years of hard work. My onyx
is not only a reminder of the past, but
also the future. It is a reminder that I
am responsible to use the knowledge
I have gained at Meredith College to
help my community and women in the
world. My education here has taught
me that we as students are connected
like sisters and are here to help one
another. In Afghanistan, less than 15
percent of women can read and write. I
am one of few educated enough to help
the women in my country and other
countries to break the cycle of poverty.
Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof shows
how women are oppressed in much
of the world; it is our obligation to do
something to help these women be
cause of how much we have been given
and how much achieved.
As my college career comes to an
end, I would like to thank my profes
sors, friends. The Initiative to Educate
Afghan Women program and the local
families who made these four years
very special for me. I believe we learn
from our environment as much as we
learn from our books. And I am so
thankful for what I have learned here.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sociology/Criminology Club will be selling Halloween Candy Grams this week! They will be distributed on Halloween! Find them on first Cate for $1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m
through Friday.
The Weems Gallery is sponsoring the first ever “Holiday Art Make-and-Take!” The craft night will begin at 6 p.m. on Thurs, Nov. 8 in GHA129 For $5 you get ALL of your craf
supplies and free food! If you’re interested or want to reserve a spot (spaces are limited) email chappell@email.meredith.edu!
From the Registrar’s Office ~ Friday, October 26: Last day to request a leave of absence, withdrawal or drop a class with a grade of “W” for the fall 2012 semester. Monday
October 29: Spring 2013 pre-registration begins. Meet with your advisor as soon as possible to obtain registration clearance before pre-registration opens. The pre-registra
tion schedule is available online at: http://meredith.edu/registrar/spring-semester.htm.
Penny Barrels is a friendly, fundraising class-competition organized by RHA. Also known as Coin Wars, the goal is for each class to accumulate the most non-silver coin.‘
(quarters, dimes, nickles). The buckets will be located in SMB from 9-11 a.m. and in BDH from 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. during Cornhuskin’ week. On Friday, Nov .2, Penny Bar
rels will only be open 9-10 a.m. in SMB, then the totals will be tallied. All donations will go to Stop Child Trafficking Now and the Daisy Trade Too.