Who is Brittnei Sherrod?</h1> <article> <h1>Who is Brittnei Sherrod?</h1> <p>ygay — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:32:35 +0000</p> <span>Who is Brittnei Sherrod?</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-08-16T15:32:35-04:00" title="Monday, August 16, 2021 - 15:32">Mon, 08/16/2021 - 15:32</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After serving as assistant director of admissions and coordinator of multicultural recruitment in the 91ֱ�� College Office of Admissions, Brittnei Sherrod ’11 has joined the Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research team. Find out how her experiences as an 91ֱ��ian and alum helped cultivate her passion for civic engagement in this installment of Who Am I?</p> <p><strong>Full Name:</strong> <a href="/brittnei-sherrod" target="_blank">Brittnei Sherrod</a> </p> <p><strong>Department and location:</strong> <a href="/bcsl" target="_blank">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research located</a> at Daub House.</p> <p><strong>Job title:</strong> Director of the Bonner Scholars Program</p> <p><strong>What does your work entail?</strong> Providing support for the 91ֱ�� Bonner Scholars program by engaging with students, community partners, and the Bonner Scholars foundation. </p> <p><strong>How many years at 91ֱ��?</strong> Some consider me to be a true 91ֱ�� native—I resided in 91ֱ�� and took a class at 91ֱ�� College while I was a student at 91ֱ�� High School (OHS). After graduating from OHS, I enrolled at the college and I enjoyed experiences as a Bonner Scholar and Mellon May Fellow. I graduated in 2011 with a major in geology and minor in religion. I was the first Ninde Scholars Program AmeriCorps College Guide working with OHS. And for eight years I worked in the College Admissions Office. I greatly enjoy being apart of this community and have found great ways to give back to all the folks that have supported me throughout my journey</p> <p><strong>Favorite place in 91ֱ�� and why?</strong> <a href="/student-involvement/lanes" target="_blank">College Lanes</a>. I was a bowling lanes attendant for two and a half years as an 91ֱ�� student—although late night glow bowling and 7-year-old birthday parties come with their challenges. The smell, sounds, and smiles make it one of the best places on campus.</p> <p><strong>Memorable 91ֱ�� moment?</strong> This is a very difficult question. Laying on the floor of the stage in Finney Chapel and feeling the vibrations from the organ during <a href="/life-at-oberlin/our-traditions" target="_blank">Organ Pump</a>; celebrating in Tappan Square with the college and community after the announcement of Barack Obama’s first presidential election win; attending the Piano Extravaganza—every year I am here I gain another 91ֱ�� memory.</p> <p><strong>Hobbies?</strong> I have a passion for photography. From family photos, office group shoots, to wedding photography. I am always snapping pictures.</p> <p><strong>Favorite song?</strong> My music taste is as varied as a movie soundtrack. Right now I have been listening to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tTcpvPF4NI0HhAMSYleCu" target="_blank">91ֱ�� Class of 2025 Spotify playlist</a>. It has a great mix of classics and songs by artists that are completely new to me.</p> <p><strong>Favorite food?</strong> Chocolate! In a cookie or scone, transformed into cake or Easter bunny, or in its pure solid state. I will never turn down chocolate.</p> <p><strong>Favorite quote?/What are you looking forward to in your new role?</strong> During the 2020 virtual NACAC Conference Michael Sorrell ’88, president of Paul Quinn College, was asked what students need from higher education staff to be successful. His response, “Advocates. Mentors answer your call. Advocates make calls for you." I look forward to advocating for Bonner scholars in my new position. </p> <p><strong>Favorite childhood memory?</strong> The IX Center Indoor Amusement Park or quiet summers</p> <p><strong>Best advice someone ever gave you?</strong> Never tell yourself no, let others do that.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-08-16T12:00:00Z">Mon, 08/16/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Brittnei Sherrod ’11, director of the Bonner Scholars Program.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: Perspectives</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 20:51:09 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: Perspectives</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-07-28T16:51:09-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 28, 2021 - 16:51">Wed, 07/28/2021 - 16:51</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A photographer’s perspective of a group of 91ֱ�� residents and students walking through Tappan Square on a nice summer afternoon—a large tree trunk pictured in the foreground—serves as inspiration for this week’s photo series.</p> <p>Members of the 91ֱ�� community gathered in Tappan Square for a Green Legacy tree tour. Green Legacy is a nonprofit that seeks to promote international peace and friendship by spreading worldwide seeds and saplings that originate from trees that survived the atomic bombs. Tappan Square activities acknowledged the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II.</p> <p>Our photographer’s perspectives tour continues with stops by a busy activities table at Langston Middle School, an introduction to painting course, a class performance, and ends with a concert atop Bibbins Hall. </p> <p>Visit 91ֱ��’s Flickr page to see more <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWhjpVn" target="_blank">Green Legacy tree tour photos</a>.</p> <hr> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWiEjgb" target="_blank">91ֱ�� College student tutors</a> participating in the America Counts and America Reads Summer 2021 Enrichment Program engage with local youth through activities focused on literacy, origami, pedagogy, and science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM). Photo credit: Dale Preston ’83</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Students in Visiting Assistant Professor Donna Hunt's Introduction to Painting course take advantage of the summer weather and find inspiration <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWf89Fr" target="_blank">outside the studio</a>. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWeTCgy" target="_blank">Black Queer Love Edition</a> from Caroline Jackson Smith's Word and the Beat class was performed in the Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater. Photo credit: Clarissa Heart</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>The Verona Quartet with pianist Scott Cuellar performed the first live in-person concert since March 2020 in Stull Hall on July 7. Photo credit: Jack Lichtenstein ’23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>This Week in Photos is a selection of images and is not meant to represent a weekly timeline. Images highlight campus, community, people, and events related to 91ֱ�� College.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-07-28T12:00:00Z">Wed, 07/28/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25436">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25331">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/caroline-jackson-smith" hreflang="und">Caroline Jackson Smith</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art" hreflang="und">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Residents and students take a guided tour in Tappan Square.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jack Lichtenstein '23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Students Stay Connected to Community Organizations Remotely</h1> <p>hhempste — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 19:40:38 +0000</p> <span>Students Stay Connected to Community Organizations Remotely</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-30T15:40:38-04:00" title="Monday, March 30, 2020 - 15:40">Mon, 03/30/2020 - 15:40</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>With students taking classes remotely due to the <a href="/news/corona-virus-updates">COVID-19</a> global health crisis, some are also finding ways to maintain the connections they have formed in the 91ֱ�� community. </p> <p>Both the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (NOYO) and the Neos Center for Dance/Neos Dance Theatre are continuing to work with students in the Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, & Research’s <a href="/bcsl/programs/community-work">Community-Based Work-Study Program</a>. The work, which would normally happen on campus, is taking place remotely. </p> <p>Instead of working with students one-on-one, seniors Alec Rich and J Holzen will each lead a <a href="https://www.noyo.org/calendar/2020/04/05/noyo-knowledge-virtual-qa-sessions">virtual Q&A session</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> with NOYO students, where they will offer advice on how to prepare for a career as a musician.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Senior J Holzen performs on stage with Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra students. <br> Photo courtesy of J Holzen ’20.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Colin Holter, executive director of the NOYO, says the online sessions address a need for students to learn from musicians such as Rich and Holzen. Topics of discussion will include how to prepare for an audition, ways to get ready for studying music in college, and what goes into renting and maintaining instruments.</p> <p>“NOYO students will be able to ask me questions about audition preparation, specifically my experience with auditioning for college, but also at a professional level,” says Rich, a tuba performance major. “That being said, it will be an open format, so I'll take questions as they come up and do my best to help everyone.”</p> <p>While on campus, first-year Sarah Liberatore worked with the <a href="https://www.neosdancetheatre.org/">Neos Center for Dance/Neos Dance Theatre</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> as part of the Community-Based Work-Study Program. Liberatore’s work with the group will continue through a remote research project that will focus on building the organization’s modern/contemporary dance curriculum. Then, she’ll create a curriculum for three levels of classes to be used at Neos in the fall. </p> <p>According to Neos Director of Education and Outreach Gwen LeBar Feldman, the organization has also launched online classes to keep their students learning and dancing at home. Liberatore will be recording a tap dance step of the week for the fundamental-level dancers.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption><br> First-year Sarah Liberatore will continue working with Neos Center for Dance/Neos Dance Theatre through a remote research project. Photo courtesy of Sarah Liberatore ’23</figcaption> </figure> <p>“Being connected to 91ֱ�� means something a bit different right now since I'm not physically there, but I'm really excited to be able to support Neos and their young dancers both in the current unusual moment and looking toward future terms,” says Liberatore. </p> <p>During this time of uncertainty in the world, cello performance major Holzen says that being able to stay connected to the community and NOYO is important. </p> <p>“Outside of performing, teaching is my biggest passion. I'm very grateful that, despite the unprecedented circumstances of this school year, I'm still able to provide guidance to my students. Any amount of normalcy we can hold onto during this uncertainty is incredibly valuable.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-30T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/30/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2583">College of Arts and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37356">Tuba</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">While off campus, Alec Rich ’20 stays connected to the 91ֱ�� community through his work with Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Alec Rich ’20</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Day of Service</h1> <p>Anonymous — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 16:44:47 +0000</p> <span>A Day of Service</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-02-12T11:44:47-05:00" title="Sunday, February 12, 2017 - 11:44">Sun, 02/12/2017 - 11:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>91ֱ�� students in the <a href="/bcsl/programs/ninde-scholars">Ninde Scholars Program</a> joined others to assemble gift bags for high school teachers and to spruce up elementary classrooms. This volunteer endeavor is part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, coordinated by the <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/office/community-and-government-relations/">Office of Community and Government Relations</a>. The event honors the legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and took place on Monday, January 16</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-01-30T12:00:00Z">Mon, 01/30/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston '83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Trecia Pottinger Appointed Bonner Center Director</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:18:55 +0000</p> <span>Trecia Pottinger Appointed Bonner Center Director</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:18:55-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:18">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:18</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/trecia-pottinger">Trecia Pottinger</a> has been appointed director of the Bonner Center for Service and Learning (BCSL).</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Trecia Pottinger</figcaption> </figure> <p>Pottinger has been with the Bonner Center since 2011, most recently as program director of the Bonner Scholars Program and associate director of the BCSL. She replaces Beth Blissman, former director of BCSL who chose to depart at the end of May to explore other opportunities, due to organizational restructuring. Blissman’s long-standing service at the college included significant accomplishments within the Bonner Center for Service and Learning.</p> <p>The BCSL will continue to provide its core programs, including the Community Service Work-Study Program, the Bonner Scholars Program, the Ninde Program, America Reads, and community-based learning. The BCSL staff remains focused on building and sustaining reciprocal relationships between community partners and 91ֱ�� College students, faculty, and staff.</p> <p>Pottinger came to 91ֱ�� from Bryn Mawr College, where she was an interim assistant dean and a coordinator for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr, where she studied German and the growth and structure of cities, and a PhD in American studies from the University of Minnesota.</p> <p>Pottinger says she looks forward to working with campus and community partners in this new leadership role. “In the year ahead the BCSL staff is looking at new ways to integrate our work with the curriculum, such as increasing support for faculty interested in community-based learning and research, while participating in broader conversations on engaged scholarship and pedagogy through national networks,” she says. “Responding to community partner-identified needs and enhancing teaching, learning, and scholarship remain at the core of the center's work.”</p> <p>Pottinger will continue to oversee the Bonner Scholars program. As the new associate director of the BCSL and director of curricular initiatives, Tania Boster will work with faculty and community partners to expand community-based learning while continuing to manage the community service work-study program. Susan Pavlus continues to serve as assistant director of the BCSL and director of education outreach programs.</p> <p>The education outreach team also includes Maureen Simen, coordinator of America Reads; Katie Hayes, college access coordinator; and Brittany Gordon, the AmeriCorps College Guide at 91ֱ�� High School. This fall, the BCSL will hire a coordinator to provide additional support for the Bonner Scholars Program.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-09-07T12:00:00Z">Wed, 09/07/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> <article> <h1>Annual Dr. Seuss Day Celebration to be Held March 6</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>Annual Dr. Seuss Day Celebration to be Held March 6</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The 17th annual Dr. Seuss Day celebration will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, at the 91ֱ�� Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.</p> <p>The theme of this year’s event is “Rhyme Away the Day with Dr. Seuss.” Children who attend the event will have the opportunity to create a Seussian pet in honor of Dr. Seuss’s “new” book <em>What Pet Should I Get?</em> in addition to a variety of other games and crafts. There will also be performances and readings by various community members and 91ֱ�� College student groups. Additionally, each child can select a free book and sign up for a library card.</p> <p>The event is sponsored by the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/cbl-programs/america-reads/">America Reads program</a> at 91ֱ�� College’s Bonner Center for Service and Learning (BCSL), which has hosted this Seussical celebration since its beginning. For more information, contact BCSL America Reads Coordinator Maureen Simen at maureen.simen@oberlin.edu or 440-775-8055.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-09T12:00:00Z">Tue, 02/09/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>What MLK Day is All About</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>What MLK Day is All About</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Tessa Newson, a 7th-grade student at Langston Middle School, and Eleanor VanBuren, a third-year comparative literature major, paint the community room at 91ֱ�� Community Services as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day. “Hands on activity: It’s what MLK Day is all about,” VanBuren says of the experience. According to Bonner Center for Service and Learning Director Beth Blissman, roughly 25 college students, 91ֱ�� city school students, and community members participated in the volunteer work.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-01-21T12:00:00Z">Thu, 01/21/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Beth Blissman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Community Involvement Tips for After Day of Service</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:41 +0000</p> <span>Community Involvement Tips for After Day of Service</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:41-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It’s just after 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, and dozens of students and a spattering of staffers dressed in blue T-shirts are excitedly chatting in Tappan Square. More people in blue are seated behind tables along Professor Street busying themselves with papers. Soon they’ll be joined by a throng of students—primarily first-years—eager to venture beyond the college’s boundaries. But this isn’t a social excursion; it’s the annual Orientation community service event, Day of Service.</p> <p>Sponsored by the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/index.dot">Bonner Center of Service and Learning (BCSL)</a>, Day of Service is a daylong event (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) that introduces new and returning students to community service opportunities at local nonprofits. Last year’s event drew 439 volunteers who spent the day organizing supplies, harvesting crops, performing landscaping work, and more at 34 community partner sites.</p> <p>“Day of Service has always been one of my favorite parts of the year,” says 2015 Day of Service coordinator Gabriel Moore ’15. A <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/bonner-scholars-program.dot">Bonner scholar</a> alumnus who majored in musical studies and biology and minored in chemistry, Moore worked as a Day of Service site leader for four years. “Day of Service is about doing service but also learning from each other. Even if you’re doing a simple task like raking leaves, the conversations you’re having teach you about 91ֱ�� and the student and community perspectives of 91ֱ��. There is a lot of bonding. Some people say they’ve met some of their closest friends through Day of Service.”</p> <p>“I’m grateful we have this opportunity just prior to the start of each academic year to introduce incoming students to the local area through our excellent community partners and wonderful student and staff site leaders,” BCSL Director Beth Blissman says.</p> <p>According to Blissman, Day of Service attracts more volunteers than any other single BCSL event, but it is just one of many opportunities students have to become involved with the community. To find these opportunities, Moore first suggests creating a profile on serve.oberlin.edu, a website launched in summer 2015 that introduces community partner agencies and lists their needs. He says a “huge wave of profiles” have been created by students since he began utilizing the site for Day of Service registration.</p> <p>Secondly, if you participated in Day of Service, Moore suggests reaching out to your service site contact. “Keep in contact with your community partner. A lot of them are within walking distance, so you can go back to talk about opportunities,” he says. “Or you can connect using serve.oberlin.edu. Just go to the partner’s profile and send an e-mail saying you worked with them on Day of Service and ask if they need a volunteer.”</p> <p>Moore’s third suggestion is to ask your peers about service opportunities. “Students know what service opportunities are in 91ֱ��, especially older students and those regularly involved like tutors or Bonner Scholars. Just having conversations about service, there are probably only two or three degrees of separation between the person you’re talking with and someone who does that kind of work.”</p> <p>Lastly, he says, <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/about/staff_listing.dot">contact the BCSL staff</a>. “Talk to staff members. Ask, ‘What should I do?’ Even if you have a skill you feel has no use in the 91ֱ�� community, there probably is a use,” he says. “I was a biology and musical studies double major; conservatory and the sciences are some of the least service-oriented majors at 91ֱ��. But serving taught me that no matter what your field of study is, there is a need that can be met with it. There are so many ways to take your interests and put them into an action. BCSL staff members know who to connect you with so you can employ your skills.”</p> <p>On why students should make time to serve the community, Moore says this: “Students come to 91ֱ�� College, they learn all of these great things about power, privilege, and oppression, and they think they know how to fix the world. Well, 91ֱ�� community members are always working to improve the microcosm that is the city of 91ֱ��. They’ve applied the methods students are learning in books and case studies.”</p> <p>He continues, “Students really don’t have to enter town at all if they don’t want to. They don’t have to meet or make connections with people. But people in the community love to meet students and teach them what has and hasn’t worked.” And that, he says, is something that can’t be taught in the classroom.</p> <p>To get in touch with BCSL staff, visit Daub House at 145 W. Lorain St., call 440-775-8055, or send e-mail to <a href="mailto:bcsl@oberlin.edu">bcsl@oberlin.edu</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-09-12T12:00:00Z">Sat, 09/12/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Gulasy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">2015 Day of Service volunteers remove bricks and invasive plant species at Prospect Elementary School.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ’83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2015 President’s Public Service Fellows Present Summer Successes</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:57 +0000</p> <span>2015 President’s Public Service Fellows Present Summer Successes</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:57-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In an airy room of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Caylen Bryant ’17 calmly walks to a small wooden podium in front of an audience composed of fellow students, family and friends, and members of the campus and 91ֱ�� communities. She smiles, takes a breath, and then slumps over the podium, sprawling her arms over its edges and groaning loudly.</p> <p>Bryant, an Africana studies and jazz bass performance double-degree student, is re-enacting a scene from earlier this summer. She had served as a president’s public service fellow (PPSF) for the FireFish Arts Camp, a visual arts training program for Lorain youth ages 14-22 that provides creative arts experiences while developing skills for the workplace and success in higher education. A guest speaker had been invited to instruct campers, but they were disinterested and defiant. Their body language was closed off, and their melodramatic sighs (not to mention the music playing from the headphones many had snuck into their ears) were highly audible.</p> <figure> <p></p> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p>Helping young adults understand the importance of showing (and thereby receiving) respect in professional and academic settings was just one goal of many that Bryant and peer 2015 PPSF fellows Aaron Appel ’16, Rewa Bush ’16, and Lillian White ’16 set out to achieve this summer.</p> <p>The 11-week PPSF program provides funding for students to work full time with a local nonprofit or public sector agency on intensive service projects that engage and empower area teens and young adults. The program is directed by Tania Boster of the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/index.dot">Bonner Center for Service and Learning</a> (BCSL) and is made possible with funding from the Office of the President.</p> <p>“President Krislov started PPSF in response to a community-expressed need for support of free summer programming that engages local teens through leadership development, the arts, and ecological and economic sustainability,” Boster says. “At the same time, students had been asking for funded opportunities to remain in 91ֱ�� over the summer to support local nonprofit organizations.”</p> <p>Continuing her presentation, Bryant shared how she helped motivate that same group of once-apathetic campers to collaborate on the design and construction of “FireFish,” a 24-foot art installation that will be featured at the inaugural FireFish Festival on September 26, 2015. “For me this summer, the festival was not my primary concern,” she said. “My primary concern was making sure the youth had what they needed in order to grow.”</p> <figure> <p></p> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p>As the fellow for the city of 91ֱ��, politics and law and society double-major Aaron Appel helped prepare youth ages 16-24 to enter the workforce by providing mentoring services and teaching soft job skills. Appel, who has extensive tutoring experience through the BCSL and other community service and internship endeavours, said the most challenging aspect of this fellowship was the fact that he was tutoring older teens, a group with which he had little experience. “My biggest lesson was that there would be no one-size-fits-all way to work with them,” he said.</p> <p>Lillian White, who designed her individual major of cultural performance studies, worked closely with two teens as the fellow for <a href="http://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/">91ֱ�� Community Services</a> (OCS). New to OCS, White said she had to quickly learn the ins-and-outs of the organization’s operations while also serving as a mentor and friend to the teens. “Many systems target the low-income youth that I worked with,” she said. White says she helped teach the teens how to better navigate systems “not designed to help them.”</p> <p>“I feel it was valuable for Lillian to witness that the challenges to disadvantaged students’ success has much less to do with their capabilities than it does with challenges in their home and social environment,” said OCS food coordinator Alan Mitchell.</p> <p>Rewa Bush, an English major with a minor in environmental studies, served as the fellow for the Backspace at the Bridge and the 91ֱ�� Public Library. She was tasked with designing and implementing programs, special events, and summer camps for local children ages 10 and older. After experiencing low attendance at early events, Bush said it became her goal to solicit as much feedback as possible from area youth about what programs they would like to see.</p> <p>As a result of her efforts and interactions, program attendance and engagement increased, and a teen advisory board responsible for producing their own programs was created. “We were so fortunate to have Rewa working with us this summer,” said Amanda Guttman, 91ֱ�� Library youth services librarian. “She was invaluable!”</p> <p>Bush, who will continue to work with the Backspace and the library to ensure the success of the teen advisory board, said she was “happy to see youth learning, laughing out loud, and getting excited about potential fields for them in the future.”</p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> <figcaption class="caption"><em>The 2015 fellows pose with program director Tania Boster (center).</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Boster says the fellows served as many as 150 teens and young adults over the course of the summer. “The fellows performed brilliantly at their sites as ambassadors for the college and the community, as mentors to local youth, and by exploring broader issues that affect young people at the national level and thinking about how these concern particularly low-income youth in this community,” Boster says. “Each of the fellows, as well as alumni from last year's program, have helped build infrastructure to continue 91ֱ�� youth mentoring programs that are responsive to ideas and interests expressed by the teens themselves.”</p> <p>"The fellows are making a significant difference in the lives of teenagers in 91ֱ�� and Lorain County,” said President Marvin Krislov, who attended the presentations. “I'm very proud of the work they are doing."</p> <p>Depending on funding, the BCSL will begin seeking community partner applications for the 2016 PPSF program as early as October. Boster says she hopes to identify interested fellowship candidates during the fall 2015 semester and to make fellowship applications available in early spring 2016.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-08-31T12:00:00Z">Mon, 08/31/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Gulasy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The 2015 President’s Public Service Fellows. From left to right: Lillian White, Rewa Bush, Caylen Bryant, and Aaron Appel.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>President’s Public Service Fellowship Applications Due May 1</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:20:09 +0000</p> <span>President’s Public Service Fellowship Applications Due May 1</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:20:09-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:20">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/index.dot">The Bonner Center for Service and Learning</a> is looking for a student to serve as a President’s Public Service Fellow (PPSF) for a new arts-based training program for Lorain High School students this summer. Students committed to community-engaged work related to youth empowerment, leadership, the arts, and/or ecological and economic sustainability are strongly encouraged to apply.</p> <p>The fellowship is full-time and runs from June 1 through August 14. The fellow will receive supplemental training and support from Tania Boster, PPSF program director. Housing is also provided.</p> <p>The deadline to apply for this fellowship is Friday, May 1. For more information, contact Boster at questionstboster@oberlin.edu. </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-04-28T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/28/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2587">President's Public Service Fellowship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> </main></body></html>