April, 2013

This issue of the Leadership Resource Team's newsletter focuses on continuing to encourage all students to seek their own opportunities, rather than just waiting for them to come by chance. We are showcasing several more organizations that you can find here at UGA and opportunities that you should definitely seek out. We are also introducing the theme of a UGA community and how your involvement and actions fit within its scope, purpose, and power. We want you to remember that you are capable of doing many great things within your college career and beyond that will positively effect both you and those around you

It is always a wonderful moment when you find an opportunity-whether it be a new job, joining a new organization that shares your passion, or finding a research position- and realize that it is all the result of your hard work and not sitting around waiting for it to come to you! The tips and advice you will find in this issue strive to help you in strengthening your ability to do amazing things at college and in the future! -Shubam Sharma

Editor’s Note

What makes a community?

Its rooted in our principles

Developed with our skills

And shared with those around us

The UGA community

Requires just one thing...

YOU!

RootsRead more about the systems in place here at UGA to get involved - The Center for Student Organizations - and their partnership with the Leadership Resource Team

TrunkRead more about how to develop your leadership and professional skills with the Leadership Resource Team so that you may effectively make a difference in the community.

BranchesRead more about some of the inspiring and life-changing organizations on campus, such as Actively Moving Forward, making a difference in the community right now.

Read more about the importance of Going Green for the community and world and what opportunities there are coming up this month on campus to start.

The Leadership Resource Team (LRT) is a student organization advised by the CSO to serve as a “bridge” between the CSO and the student body. When LRT plans leadership development events, the CSO helps advise the administrative processes involved. And when the CSO plans events for student organizations, LRT helps generate ideas, advertise on campus, and provide extra help in the execution of the events.

Still not really sure how the relationship works? Let’s try an example:

The CSO has the annual Student Organization Achievement and Recognition Awards (SOAR) to recognize outstanding student organizations. The SOAR awards are kind of like the Oscars for student organizations at UGA, and are, thus, a very big deal! The LRT assists the CSO in coming up with ideas, themes and advertising techniques for the award. Last year, LRT used social media (Twitter, Facebook) to live-stream the awards show to get all the up-to-date award presentations out to the masses!

 

This is a perfect example of how LRT and the CSO cooperate. We are separate entities working together to serve UGA as efficiently as possible!

Many of you, particularly our new followers, are probably still trying to figure out exactly what LRT does at UGA. This week’s post will help you understand why we exist, and how we cooperate with the Center for Student Organizations (CSO) to aid all student organizations.

LRT and CSO Work Together

The Center for Student Organizations (CSO) is an administrative body that exists to serve student organizations at UGA. Their services include registering new organizations, aiding in the development of such organizations, and running CSO workshops that provide students with information about school policies and procedures, as well as facilitating learning and student development.

The CSO website can be found here at http://stuorgs.uga.edu

Develop your skills with LRT!

Nandini Inmula:Joining LRT this year was honestly one of the best decisions I've made here at UGA. I've gotten to meet amazing people from all different backgrounds, with different experiences, and gotten the chance to work together on amazing projects such as the Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference and now the SOAR Awards. It has taught how to improve my leadership and communication skills and definitely given me building blocks for success in whatever I do in the future. If anyone is even considering applying, I would recommend them to fill out the application in a heartbeat! Sometimes it can be rough balancing other commitments and class or work, but seeing our efforts and time we put into LRT events pay off gives me a real feeling of satisfaction. You also get the chance to get to know a little bit more about the CSO and how it works and how much work that people put in behind the scenes. LRT has not only given me a real appreciation for my fellow students, but also for the people who work to make our university a better place.

Cedric Maligaya:My experience with LRT so far has been amazing. I could list a million and two reasons why I love this organization, but my favorite thing about being a member of LRT is that we are family. I trust everyone completely. I would recommend joining LRT because it really does allow you to become a better leader and it also allows you to meet students with interests both similar to and completely different from your own. It allows you to gain a broader knowledge base of what campus is like for all these different groups we have. LRT has allowed me to grow as a leader in many ways, but one HUGE way sticks out to me. Before I joined LRT I could not speak in front of groups. I would simply freeze up and forget what I was going to say. Now that I am a member of this organization, I have gained the ability to at least know what I was trying to say, and be able to say it- albeit in a less elegant way- if I got nervous. This has allowed me to even feel more confident when I do presentations because of that. I have come to realize that even if I mess up, I can still keep talking, so I shouldn’t stress as much. One of the other ways I have grown is that I have gained valuable skills and knowledge that I feel would benefit myself as a leader, and through LRT you can also gain skills and knowledge that are valuable to you as a leader.

Eric Ahlstedt:The experience that I have had as a member of the Leadership Resource Team (LRT) is one that has allowed me to benefit myself while also benefiting others. I have participated in many amazing events such as the Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference that have helped me to grow as a person by helping others to grow themselves. I have learned a lot through giving presentations on campus to other students about various events, and in doing so have greatly improved both my public speaking skills and leadership capabilities. The LRT has taught me a lot and has given me new skills that I will be able to utilize for the years to come. Joining the LRT is not a decision that I regret, in fact it is a decision that I am very confident anybody would find quite positive.

On April 17th at 7:00 pm, AMF will be hosting—as one of its bimonthly service events— a program entitled “Drive for Your Life” in Tate Room 141, and all UGA students are invited to attend. April is National Distracted Driver Month; a large number of fatalities each year are related to automobile accidents, with a significant portion of these deaths linked to distracted drivers. This program will feature a short documentary about the dangers of distracted driving, followed by a student-led discussion of distracted driving, its dangers, and possible prevention strategies. AMF hopes that this program can open a line of communication between students about distracted driving and how to limit the impact it may have on our lives. There will be trivia with prizes and food provided for all in attendance.

During the week of April 7th, chapters of AMF all across the country will recognize National College Student Grief Awareness Week. If you would like to be involved in helping raise awareness about college student grief that week or to learn more about the chapters, please visit www.studentsofamf.org. For more information about how to participate in the University of Georgia’s chapter of Actively Moving Forward, please contact Joseph Perez at jkperez@uga.edu.

Raising Awareness of College Student Grief

through Actively Moving Forward (AMF)

By Allison Wood

“With one-third of all college students having grieved the death of a loved one in the last year and the lack of discussion about the topic, college student bereavement is a “silent epidemic” that can have profound negative effects academically, socially, and developmentally.” – National Chapters of AMF Website

At the University of Georgia, members from the student organization Students of Actively Moving Forward (AMF) work together to raise awareness for students experiencing grief during their time in college. From biweekly support group meetings to bimonthly service events, AMF offers students at the University of Georgia an opportunity to make connections with other students who have experienced the death of a loved one. For Shirin Eshraghi, a University senior and AMF president, AMF provides many opportunities for students experiencing grief to connect with other students that share similar experiences and to realize that they are not alone. “We have that support group aspect, so that if [students] want to come out for support group, we have other people that are there to just talk about whatever that person wants to talk about that week, too,” says Eshraghi.

Between  35%  and  48%  of  college  students  have  lost  a  family  member  or  close  friend  

within  the  last  two  years.  Between  22%  and  30%  of  college  students  have  lost  a  family  member  or  close  friend  within  the  last  year  (Balk,  1997;  Wrenn,  1999;  Balk,  Walker  &  

Baker,  2010).

  8.6%  of  college  students’  academic  performances  have  been  affected  by  the  death  of  a  family  member  or  close  friend  within  the  last  year  (Servaty-­‐Seib  &  Hamilton,  2006).

For  10%  to  15%  of  the  bereaved,  a  debilitaQng  and  prolonged  form  of  grief  can  pose  severe  long-­‐term  risks  for  psychological  and  

physical  health  (OS,  2003;  Prigerson  &  Maciejewski,  2006).

“Go green!” We hear it and see it all the time. The arrows that form a triangle, multiple bins around the campus, but what else can students and their organizations do to really help UGA campus stay beautiful and a harm-free environment?

Melissa is the cofounder of CHROMA, which is an art-oriented-service organization that focuses on bringing awareness to social change from a different perspective. This past September, CHROMA’s monthly campaign focused on environmentalism. The organization went to the filthiest local road, picked up all the trash, and assembled a moveable sculpture, which they marched around campus to display. Originally, the organization wanted to hang the sculpture under the Tate-MLC bridge to represent how the environment and even people can feel “crushed by the trash;” however, they decided to go a different route by making it a more “in people’s faces” project by presenting the sculpture on a smaller, more intimate, but louder level. It helped people to think of litter and recycling in a different way.

When asked how September’s campaign changed her organization, Melissa stated that she, as well as the other members, became much more aware and mindful of the environment. Instead of the typical paper, or their creative plastic, fliers, CHROMA created fabric fliers and black bleached t-shirts to advertise their messages. Melissa encourages students to think about how their actions can affect others as well as their surroundings. Recycle those pizza boxes, have a bin for the beer bottles and cans, and drop the chip bags in the correct bin as well.

CHROMA’s next event will be on Monday, April 15 from 7-9pm, which will showcase an art exibit at the MLC on the second floor. There will be organic food there as well , so come out to see an “immediate way to communicate messages.”

GO GREEN!

Amy is a member of Students for Environmental Action (SEA), Campus Kitchen, and UGarden. When asked how students could be more mindful of the environment, Amy suggested using reusable water bottles (Target has Nalgenes for $10 right now!) or water filters, and filling up bottles at the hydration stations around campus (the best one I’ve been to is on the first floor of Tate between the CSO and Campus Reservations). Get some exercise and bike around campus or use the Athens Transit & UGA Campus Transit buses (you already paid the transportation fee, might as well use it!)! News boards are a lot more effective than handing out fliers—MLC’s bathroom stall newsletters are the best! Recycle and drop off the goods at the multiple locations around campus: ECV’s parking lot next to 1512/1516, the McPhaul Center’s parking lot, and the George Gibon Men’s Ware parking lot on Baxter.

Instead of the typical paper, or their creative plastic, fliers,

CHROMA created fabric fliers and black bleached t-shirts to

advertise their messages.

A project that SEA is currently working on is getting the dining halls to eliminate the plastic trays. This way, students will not only eat less (hello freshman 50, I mean 15), but also reduces the energy used to clean them as well as plastic use. Other universities are doing it, so UGA needs to get on this!Landon is also in SEA and the treasurer for Bag the Bag. Bag the Bag focuses on spreading awareness on reusable bags. Plastic is bad, like really bad for the environment, so Bag the Bag goes to elementary schools and teaches students how to make reusable grocery bags out of old t-shirts. This is a great hands on and interactive way to become more sustainable. When asked about SEA’s mission of ridding plastic trays at UGA dining halls, Landon said students could begin by not using trays themselves. If that is a challenge, he suggested doing “Tray-less Tuesdays” as a start! Since the weather is starting to warm up, have organization meetings outside so that you can reduce the amount of energy consumed and turn to social media to advertise instead of fliers. There are many green activities around UGA and Athens, so as a group, your organization can seek these out and get more involved.

Another great source to learn how to be more eco-friendly is the UGA Office of Sustainability. On their website, you can find details about Earth Week, which is coming up (April 22-26):

- Mon, April 22: Earth Day—Tabling at Tate 10-2, Scott Russell Sanders Lecture at the State Botanical Garden 7-8:30- Tues, April 23: Waste & Recycling Day—campus waste audit @ Tate 10-2; Recycling Happy Hour @ IFields 5-7pm; No-Waste Dinner 8pm- Wed, April 24: Transportation Day—Bike Safety Training @ Myers Quad 11am-12pm- Thurs, April 25: Leaders in Sustainability—online webinar 10-11am; GA Leaders in Sustainability Panel @ Walker Room of Dean Rusk Center 3:30-5; Terrapin Night 5:30-7:30- Fri, April 26: Middle Oconee Kayaking & River Clean up @ 3pm

Do your part, and help keep the environment clean!