Students spend winter break building homes
THE ALL STATE T h e
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W W W . T H E A L L S T A T E . O R G
WEDNESDAY 02.08.2017
PELP, CSLCE students travel abroad to work with various non-profits organizations
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VOLUME 86
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ISSUE 3
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FIRST ISSUE FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS EACH
MAHALIA SMITH
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
While many students lounged at home binging on Netflix over the winter break, a few APSU students were completing service projects. A group of students in the President’s Emerging Leaders Program (PELP) went to Trinidad and Tobago as part of a winter leadership course taught by Matthew Kenney, director of the Honors Program and PELP. Juniors Natalie Cooper and Waqas Ahmed were among the students on the trip. Cooper, a healthcare management major, described arriving in the small airport. “We walked outside and it was very hot and steamy, and very busy,” Cooper said. There was a problem in customs, when biology major Ahmed, a Pakistani citizen, had to go through some extra security. “I had to answer a couple hundred questions,” Ahmed said. “It took about two hours.” After the situation cleared up, the students stayed in the city of Tunapuna, in a church compound. There were open air markets nearby. “It was kind of in a rough area,” Cooper said. “We had to lock ourselves in at night.” The PELP students worked with Habitat for Humanity to build a house working closely with Damani, a local man who would soon live in the house. Through Habitat for Humanity, housing applicants receive the house for free; the controlled mortgage they pay serves as funding to build more homes. “We did the framework and put the roof on, and on the last day we did some of the siding,” Cooper said. It was a challenge for Cooper as she had no building experience beforehand. “I have no muscle, so it was very difficult,” Cooper said, “but I did my best.” The building was easier for Ahmed. “We had a couple of really good teachers,” Ahmed said. It was not all work for the students, who got to spend a day in the tourist part of Tobago and meet some mischievous friends on the beach in Trinidad. “There were [wild] pigs on the beach,” Cooper said, “one of them tried to take Dr. Kenney’s shoe.” Another student kept the pigs at bay by throwing sand at them. The students immersed themselves in the blended culture of Trinidad and Tobago. The food is influenced by Indian and Spanish flavors. “There was a lot of spices, rice and beans, and chicken,” Cooper said. See ABROAD on page 2
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APSU getting two new Greek organizations Panhellenic council deciding between three candidates: Sigma Kappa, Zeta Tau Alpha, Phi Mu; Interfraternity council adding Kappa Sigma NOELLE OLEARTCHICK STAFF WRITER
SIGMA KAPPA SORORITY CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
PHI MU SORORITY CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ZETA TAU ALPHA SORORITY CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
KAPPA SIGMA FRATERNITY CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The APSU Greek community is undergoing changes for Fall 2017. The Panhellenic community will be gaining two new organizations as Kappa Sigma Fraternity will return and a new sorority will begin in Fall 2017. The decision to initiate a new sorority and fraternity was based on the community growth at APSU, and the current trends in Panhellenic enrollment. The potential sororities submitted packets to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and the governing council reviewed each packet, made recommendations and took an official vote. The final three sororities to present themselves to the APSU community are Sigma Kappa, Zeta Tau Alpha and Phi Mu. The Panhellenic community has a say in who the newest sorority will be.
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Panhellenic Council President, Glenna Beaty said she is excited about the addition. “I am very excited for APSU’s Panhellenic Council to be extending invitations to three great organizations,” Beaty said. The current Greek organizations will have the opportunity to meet with the potential sororities on Feb. 22, Feb. 27 and March 1 at the club level of the football field. “We invite the community to the campus presentations and hope to provide feedback for the Panhellenic Extension committee to review before they make their recommendation to be voted on by the Panhellenic delegates in March,” the Coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Stephen Dominy said. While the newest sorority will be decided on by the committee and delegates, Kappa Sigma already has an agreement with the university to return after their chapter was removed in 2013.
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The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs will hold the two new organizations to the same standards that they do for current Greek organizations. “They must meet the minimum expectations set forth by the Office of Student Life and Engagement,” Dominy said. Beaty said this addition aligns with Panhellenic’s values. “We believe that by adding another chapter to our Greek community will add to the Panhellenic focus of enhancing women’s empowerment, women’s leadership, and women’s confidence at APSU,” Beaty said. Dominy and the office will be a major resource to the organizations and look forward to offering their support to all the chapters. “Our record of accomplishment at APSU does not lie—if you come to our campus, you will be successful. Our community is excited and looking forward to the new groups that will be coming this fall,” Dominy said.
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