The University of Kentucky Student Leader MagazineSpring 2015

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Contents

On the Cover: Erica Shipley, seen here (left)

at this year's DanceBlue marathon, is the 2015-16 DanceBlue Overall Chair.

Read more about DanceBlue, its' 10 years For the Kids, and its' impact on the University of

Kentucky, pp. 6-9.

372 Blazer HallLexington, Kentucky 40526

getinvolved.uky.edu859-257-8867

An Equal Opportunity University

© University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506. 859-257-9000. www.uky.edu.

The University of Kentucky is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Souther Lane, Decatur,

Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the University of Kentucky.

WelcomeWRFL Center for Community OutreachThen & Now Student Government Association Leadership Education Student Activities Board

12-34-56-9

10-1112-1314-15

If you would like to learn more about how you can engage with or support student programs within the Office of Student Involvement, please e-mail

OSIAlumni@uky.edu or call 859-257-8867.

Special Thanks:Joules Kim

Brad MancusoKaty BennettRoshan Palli

Susannah DenommeStudents & Staff of the Office of Student Involvement

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Greetings Big Blue Nation!

W elcome to the Office of Student Involvement’s first student leader alumni magazine! It is my honor

to connect with you. While cramming for calculus exams or cheering on the Cats at Rupp Arena are memorable, our most valued memories of UK are forged through our involvement and service to our campus and fellow students. One of the experiences I will cherish most is serving as the Executive Director of the Center for Community Outreach (CCO).

At the CCO, we are experiencing a period of exponential growth. For those of you who aren't familiar, the CCO was created from the desire of students to do more then just serve; the Student Volunteer Center transitioned to the CCO to allow students to become more socially active through education, advocacy, and direct service. This year alone, we have opened the Big Blue Pantry on campus for food insecure students, hosted over 1,000 participants for FUSION (a one-day service event across Lexington), and coordinated service trips to Nicaragua, India, Ghana, and elsewhere across the globe! However, the CCO is not only focused on service. This past September we brought over 50 community partners on campus to showcase ways students can be active in the Lexington community with their four (or six, who’s counting?) years on campus. It is our mission and our responsibility to connect and educate students on the opportunities to serve in future career fields.

As we know, the University is under an unprecedented period of transition under the courageous leadership of President Eli Capiluoto. It is exciting to see what the future holds for the Office of Student Involvement as it adapts to these changes. Just this year, the CCO celebrated the 10

year anniversary of DanceBlue (a 24-hour dance marathon that has raised over $7 million dollars for families affected by pediatric cancer, as well as supporting cancer research) and the hiring of a third staff advisor to support the efforts of the growth of our programming efforts.

Today, we celebrate the 200 families receiving

Thanksgiving baskets or the 500 kids getting a Christmas present; but in hindsight, I extend my sincere gratitude to the alumni of the many student-run organizations in the Office of Student Involvement. Without the years of hard work to lay the foundation, our efforts would not be half as impactful to the University and Lexington communities.

To serving Big Blue Nation, in the past, present,

and in the future, Zach Laux

Zach Laux is a 2015 graduate of the University of Kentucky, and was the Executive Director of the Center for Community Outreach.

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An Eclectic ParadiseWRFL’s Ongoing Experiment with Alternative Thought

The diversity of thought that exists on a university campus is a beautiful thing; it inspires the intellectual

growth students experience as well as drives the innovation and ideation that make universities a marketplace of ideas. This diversity is exemplified by WRFL, Radio Free Lexington, the University of Kentucky’s student run radio station.

WRL is tied together by “sharing the joy in being passionate about something,” said Ben Allen, the WRFL Advisor and an alum of the station.

It is not the similarities that are celebrated, but rather the differences. It is an area where “everyone is encouraged to express their identity in a safe space,” Allen, who was first on the air with WRFL as a student in 1998, said.

And the current generation of WRFL student management is very intent on ensuring the same culture is maintained at the station in perpetuity. “WRFL has been part of the lifeblood of alternative culture in Lexington and the Bluegrass for 27 years,” Nathan Hewitt, WRFL’s incoming General Manager, said. Hewitt believes that “alternative culture is not against the mainstream, not counter-culture, but rather adds to but is independent from the mainstream.”

Exploring your own personal aspect of alternative culture is the atmosphere WRFL encourages. “WRFL is becoming more relevant on campus. Even with the already large footprint, new concerts are hopefully encouraging more groups of students to try and find new experiences,” Hewitt said.

WRFL constantly works to give the University and Lexington community glimpses of ways to get outside of their comfort zones and enjoy music or ideas different from their typical experience. As Ryan Mosley, the law school bound outgoing programming director, puts it, “the mainstream is becoming narrower and narrower,”

and through that more people are attracted to the widened cultural scope that WRFL provides.

“WRFL is an eclectic paradise,” Mosley, a native of Knott County, Ky., said. “We don’t advocate or politicize. It is just an alternative option for people to explore outside the mainstream.” And this alternative option has had a profound impact on the community in which it exists.

“WRFL has profoundly affected many people’s lives. It is a student-led, community-focused effort that is the beating heart of the alternative music scene in the community, and a pillar of the alternative culture,” Ben Southworth, the outgoing General Manager, said. Southworth, who has been connected to WRFL since his high school days in Lexington, refers to WRFL as a “megaphone” for all of the other alternative culture venues within the city.

To bring in as many people as possible, Southworth believes cooperation between all of the venues for expression of alternative culture is essential. “The intellectuality of WRFL…and appreciating the differences between people and learning to share…It’s a lab where anything is possible,” he said.

It is this shared passion for the different that has allowed WRFL to thrive ever since the first show in 1988. What started as a part of a national movement in student media in the late 80s exists in the 21st century as a center of alternative culture and diversity of thought on UK’s campus. WRFL is woven into the cultural fabric of the campus and Lexington communities, and the intellectual and cultural vitality of these communities is enhanced through WRFL.

Background: Inside the WRFL studio.

wrfl.fm

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Building Better Citizens Through ServiceThe CCO and Its Mission to Change the World

Some see a problem in the world around them, a wrong they think needs to be righted, and they look to others

to fix it. Others are filled with a fire to right these wrongs and better the world they live in. The students of the Center for Community Outreach (CCO) are certainly the latter.

“We are striving to create socially aware leaders for the future,” said outgoing CCO Executive Director Zach Laux.

The numerous programs and endeavors of the CCO are indicative of this mission. Whether through regional, national, or international service trips through Alternative Service Breaks; local community service through FUSION or the MLK Day of Service; fighting hunger and homelessness through Helping Hands; supporting their fellow students through the Big Blue Pantry; volunteering to help animals in need through PAWS; or organizing DanceBlue to support children and families fighting cancer; the CCO is instilling social awareness through first-hand experience.

The CCO impacts many students’ lives and alters the course of their futures. Incoming Executive Director

Jason Schubert was an Arts Administration major at the inception of his career at UK, but his time with the CCO inspired the Wheaton, Ill. product to pursue a degree in Community Leadership Development.

“The CCO provides a space for students that are active and engaged in the world around them to have a community,” Schubert says.

Through programs and service opportunities engaging thousands of UK students, the CCO strives to better the world. Through that, students have also built an internal community supporting each aspect of the CCO, and each of their programs are better for it.

“My time in the CCO has inspired me to challenge conventional thinking and to be an active citizen – asking myself ‘what can I do?’” Laux, a native of Owensboro, Ky., said.

Through students like Zach, Jason, and many others, the CCO is developing socially aware individuals to be active citizens serving their communities throughout their lives, spanning the globe, and taking action to answer the question “What can I do?”

ukcco.org

Alternative Service Breaks is a program that was founded in 2007 and has grown exponentially. Planned by ASB student leaders, over 100 UK students participate in these immersive service trips each year, and travel to locations such as Nicaragua, India, Ghana, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and locations across Kentucky.

The Big Blue Pantry, the newest service of the CCO, opened fall of 2014. The Big Blue Pantry was created to serve students who are experiencing food insecurity or hunger. Run by a team of students, it exists to ensure no student struggles through difficult times without the support of their community.

For Unity and Service In Our Neighborhoods (FUSION), started in 2003, includes a multitude of different venues for hundreds of students to volunteer the Lexington community at the very beginning of K-Week in the fall semester.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is an opportunity for students to gather and honor the legacy of Dr. King through community service projects across the Lexington area.

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marathons this year raising anywhere from $1,000 to $105,000, according to Shipley.

“What we’ve seen grow about mini-marathons is that it’s not just students who want to build a resume,” Shipley, a native of Washington, D.C., said. “They completely commit themselves to this event. It’s cool to see how high school students and middle school students become a part of this cause. It’s another way to spread our mission and help the kids at the same time.”

The students who lead DanceBlue are still not satisfied. All the success, all the growth, and all the memories have only increased their motivation.

“We don’t want to be dancing,” Shipley said. “We want to live in a world where there’s no pediatric cancer and we don’t have to be dancing for this cause.”

“DanceBlue is, was and always will be student led, and that’s why it works,” said Jennifer Mynear.

“It has been fueled by their fervor to make a difference,” President Capilouto said of the DanceBlue students. “To help others overcome one of life’s most treacherous and unforgiving diseases.”

“It’s such a humbling experience to be a part of it,” Hall said. “Pediatric cancer is not fair. They need us to help fight for them. It’s awesome what we’ve done in 10 years. Unreal. But, we cannot rest. There’s a lot of work left to do.”

Every year, they raise more. Every year, they impact more. But, every year, they dance, they fight for the same reason – For The Kids.

“We’re all here to make a difference, and to make the state of Kentucky realize this is a prevalent issue for a lot of families.”

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Then & Now: DanceBlueCelebrating 10 Years For The Kids (Then)

E very year, DanceBlue breaks records. Every year, DanceBlue grows. Every year, DanceBlue brings

together the University of Kentucky community – For The Kids.

Every year is exciting. Every year is special. But, 2013 was just a bit different. Then, DanceBlue entered its eighth marathon with a strong possibility of raising more than $1 million for the first time.

“You could feel the suspense,” Michael Danahy, a junior at UK and last year’s DanceBlue Public Relations Chair. “I just remember how loud and crazy it was on the floor.”

After the final number was raised high, the suspense turned into celebration.

“People were crying tears of joy, and complete strangers were hugging each other because of what a bunch of college students had managed to accomplish,” Danahy said.

DanceBlue is a student-led 24-hour no sleeping, no sitting dance marathon held each February, and all funds raised support the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic through the Golden Matrix Fund.

All of it started because of the dream of boy. In 2002, in the last days of his life, 13-year old Jarrett Mynear created a list of requests – one of which was to raise money to improve the Pediatric Oncology Clinic and Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

Jarrett’s parents, Jennifer and Doug Mynear, along with Susannah Denomme from the UK Office of Development, established the Jarrett Mynear Fund in Jarrett’s memory to support renovation of the Clinic. Jennifer, Doug, and Susannah then learned of Penn State University’s THON, a dance marathon that has become the most successful student-led fundraiser in the world, and immediately wanted to bring a similar program to UK.

“We felt that the student body at UK, our alma mater,

could benefit from a student-led activity to bring the campus together for something more than sports or a party,” Jennifer Mynear said. “This event could be a diversified effort for something beyond the boundaries of campus.”

The first DanceBlue, held in the spring of 2006, raised $123,323.16. This year, it raised $1,615,057.18.

Between then and now, DanceBlue has become perhaps the most recognizable organization on campus, and one of the most indelible events of the year.

“DanceBlue is something no one ever forgets, especially the last few hours,” UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto said.

“It is permeated throughout campus,” said senior Colby Hall, DanceBlue’s Alumni Relations Coordinator in 2015. “Everyone has some idea of what DanceBlue is.”

DanceBlue’s mission is particularly important to the 63 counties served throughout Kentucky, where cancer rates are among the highest in the country.

“DanceBlue further underscores why UK’s efforts are so critical to Kentucky,” President Capilouto said.

“We’re all here to make a difference, and to make the state of Kentucky realize this is a prevalent issue for a lot of families,” incoming DanceBlue Overall Chair Erica Shipley said. “I think people realize we are students committed to driving toward this passion of stopping cancer altogether.”

“The next step is getting out in those communities around the state and tell them about DanceBlue,” said Hall. “When we do that effectively, the number we raise is going to go through the roof.”

Now, its’ message of hope is spreading beyond just the UK community. In the last 5 years, DanceBlue has started “mini-marathons” at high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools across Kentucky. In places like Owensboro, Louisville, Harlan County, and Rockcastle County, among others, there were a total of 24 mini-

danceblue.org

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To me, DanceBlue means hope. DanceBlue means hope for the past, hope for the present, and hope for

the future.DanceBlue means hope for the past, because of the

support it gives to the families of those who have lost children or loved ones in the clinic. Although we will never be able to bring Jarrett back for the Mynears, we can dance and continue to raise money to honor their family and others. I believe these families can receive hope that there will be a day when parents will not have to bury their own child because of pediatric cancer.

DanceBlue also means hope for the present. The patients and families at the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic go through hardships that take away the normalcy of life. DanceBlue helps families find this normalcy through the love of volunteers and employees in the clinic who are able to be employed because of Danceblue’s support. DanceBlue also serves the families in the clinic with events such as the Fall Festival, Holiday Party, and the marathon itself. DanceBlue not only gives the patients and their families hope, but many other things to look forward to even during their worst hours in the clinic.

Then & Now: DanceBlueCelebrating 10 Years For The Kids (Now)

On top of all of these, I believe DanceBlue means hope for the future. The hope I receive from DanceBlue is that someday instead of dancing for a cure, we will dance in celebration of the end of pediatric cancer. I believe that in the coming years DanceBlue will continue making strides to enhance the Clinic and strides towards finding a cure to all pediatric cancer.

DanceBlue also gives me hope for this University. When you bring 1,000 students together for 24-hours, it always amazes me how life changing it can be. From DanceBlue, I have received hope that this campus will become one with selfless ambitions to serve one another. DanceBlue changes the lives of kids and their families, but also the lives of countless college students that stand against pediatric cancer for 24 hours and become eternally impacted.

DanceBlue is so much bigger than any one individual, but when you bring 150 college students together and put them on Committees and let them work, you will be at a loss for words, like so many people have over the past 10 years. DanceBlue increases the amount of hope we can give families, students, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and most importantly the kids. FTK.

by Austin Mullen, DanceBlue Corporate Relations Chair, 2015; University of Kentucky Student Body President

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policy and voting. “That’s what we’re really trying to do with the show –

inform students, and to help form better citizens,” he said. “When you’re informed, you’re a better citizen, and you better represent this University.”

Student-run and student-focused, the show has also garnered support from UK administration and the Lexington community, bringing on guests such as Lexington City Council members, UK faculty members, UK Student Affairs staff, and Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration Eric Monday, as well as an interview with UK President Eli Capilouto.

According to Hall, the support from administrators and the campus community has been “way better than I ever expected.” Whether it is the guest interviews or questions collected via #SOTC on social media, he is passionate about getting the message of SGA to the UK community.

“We’re trying to show students that we’re creative, that we’re thinking of new ways to let them know what we’re doing, that we care about them, that we’re working hard for them.”

Hall, who will graduate with his Bachelor’s degree in Biology this May, is not overly concerned with the future of the show or his legacy with it once he signs off for the last time.

“I believe in the show,” he said. “But, I never started it with the intention of leaving my mark. If it is still here five years down the road, then that’s a great story for me to tell.

“It was just me thinking of something new for us to do to serve students. If it turns into something that’s lasting and that’s my legacy, then that’s pretty cool.”

“That’s what we’re really trying to do with the show – inform students, and to help form better citizens.”

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State of the CommonwealthSGA Takes Civic Engagement to the Airwaves

Apathy does not sit well with Colby Hall. After realizing many of his friends and fellow students seemed put off

by the 2014 elections in Kentucky and around the nation, Hall started thinking.

“There was such a level of disengagement and almost a disgust for the campaign,” Hall remembered. “Disgust not just for politics, but for issues that matter. I thought – how can we lower barriers to engage college students in this process?”

As Director of Government Relations for UK’s Student Government Association, Hall knew he had a platform to chip away at the perceived political distaste. The senior from Somerset, Ky. just had to find the medium. He only had to go a few doors down.

“WRFL (UK’s student run radio station) is just down the hall from us,” Hall said. “It is an outlet that, in the past, SGA has not used. Sometimes, I think you can open the newspaper or turn on cable news and almost feel inferior to what’s going on. I wanted the show to be a very informal, organic format that is laid-back yet informative. It’s college radio – by students for students – with almost an NPR-like atmosphere.”

Partnering with WRFL provided not only a vehicle for the show to address issues but also another way in which SGA could connect to students.

”The WRFL listener has probably not been engaged by SGA in the past,” Hall said. “The show provides that medium we haven’t had in the past to a new audience.

“People rest on the assumption that SGA doesn’t do anything because we don’t have a Fall Break…but, that’s

not our mission. Part of the purpose of the show is to get that message out that ‘hey, someone represents us with administrators and someone represents our interests on campus.’ If students can attach some of that to SGA, then it’s worth it.”

Jake Ingram, the outgoing Student Body President, was surprised by the idea for the radio show, but not by the show itself.

“It was a totally out of the box, out of the job description kind of idea,” Ingram said. “But, in typical Colby fashion, he jumped right in and made the show a really fun, engaging success.”

“State of the Commonwealth” debuted

the first week of the Spring Semester. While he admits the

name is generic and his friends give him grief for the show’s social media hashtag “#SOTC,” Hall has found it easy to generate an hour’s worth of content each week.

“Sometimes, I get ideas over the weekend when I’m doing homework, or just when I’m sitting around,” he said. “My friends talk to me about it all the time, so at least I know someone is listening.”

Hall’s ideas have brought topics on the show ranging from state and federal legislative issues to student loan debt to Kentucky’s political landscape to the physical transformation of the UK campus. The opening segment of each show is also reserved for a rundown of SGA initiatives or programs, and Hall believes he “hits on the issues enough and hopefully informs students enough that they can make their own decisions” when it comes to

uksga.org

On Air: Colby Hall, above center and opposite page right, hosts the show, which has featured such guests as UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto (left).

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John F. Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” This has certainly held true

through the history of the Office of Student Involvement and its predecessors; as the leaders that have developed within the OSI have gone on to have incredible impacts across campus and beyond.

Through creation of the Leadership Exchange Ambassadors, the OSI has established a student-led organization committed to the development of leadership on the University of Kentucky campus. Striving for its’ members to “lead from where they are”, LEA’s main focus to offer opportunities for authentic, intentional development through campus-wide and statewide programming made available to any student interested in leadership.

Furthering the mission to encourage students to “Explore, Connect, Impact” the University of Kentucky campus, LEA has broadened OSI’s reach and educational impact on UK students. This spring, LEA launched two new workshop series – “Explore” and “Impact Leadership”. The Explore workshops range from getting involved on campus to personal development and life skills to time and stress management, while the Impact series allowed 25 students the opportunity to immerse themselves in leadership development and applying knowledge of leadership skills to making an impact on campus and beyond.

The Students Become the TeachersLeadership Exchange Ambassadors

LEA’s emergence was recognized this February at the National Collegiate Leadership Conference at the University of Arizona. There, LEA was presented with the Organization Achievement Award, recognizing student-run organizations what have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills to plan and facilitate events that benefit their campus community.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Courtlynn Lindsay, LEA’s Director of Internal Operations. “It allowed me to develop new skills as I presented to students from all over the nation and received great feedback.

Lindsay and Cody Williams, LEA’s Director of Training and Development, focused their NCLC presentation on starting a leadership-focused student organization, such as LEA. The students were also able to network with and learn from more than 600 participants from colleges and universities in more than 20 states.

“We were also able to attend sessions over various leadership topics that allowed us to grow as leaders and bring what we learned back to UK to impact the campus and promote authentic leadership throughout,” Lindsay said.

Through LEA, OSI is training student leaders to train the next generation of student leaders. By teaching students to lead from where they are, LEA is ensuring that, at least at the University of Kentucky, leadership and learning remain indispensable from each other.

getinvolved.uky.edu/LEA

Right: LeadUK is an annual

leadership conference facilitated by LEA.

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A s a student, when you are involved in an organization that puts on more than 100 events in an academic year,

it could be easy to forget why you put those events on in the first place.

Nor for the students leading UK’s Student Activities Board. One of the University’s oldest and most recognizable student organizations, SAB is run by students committed to four values every proposal for every event must meet – teamwork, enrichment, diversity, and stewardship.

“Everything boils down to our core values,” said Jake Ewing, SAB’s outgoing President. “They are really what drives us, as well as our ideas.”

Through these four pillars of decision-making, SAB seeks to push the envelope with its’ programs, challenging the campus community to think outside the box or outside their own comfort zone.

“It’s funny how that kind of mainstay is what pushes us to be innovative,” Ewing said. “Ultimately, that’s what is pushing us to push the envelope, and to have those conversations that we really need to have, but may make people a little uncomfortable.”

One of the only programming boards in the United States to utilize market research in its approach to campus events, SAB is consistently attempting to ensure that students will not only be interested in the programs but enriched by the content.

Just one way SAB brings these engaging and educational programs to campus is through its Engaging Issues Committee, which this year hosted a series of “#TrendingTopics” events seeking to provide a safe environment for students to discuss controversial topics.

Driven To Their CoreSAB’s Commitment to Educate, Engage, and Enrich Campus

James Collard, SAB’s Director of Engaging Issues, presented at the National Association for College Activities (NACA) Regional Conference in November and the NACA National Conference in Minneapolis in February.

“I’m grateful to be able to share the concepts of this program with other universities so they can better understand how to challenge their students on current topics and allow them to make informed decisions,” Collard said.

This year, #TrendingTopics brought to the forefront of campus discussion issues such as vaccinations, vegetarians vs. meat-eaters, the value of space exploration, and many others.

These events, plus the more than 100 more that SAB puts on each year ranging from concerts to art exhibits to lectures to poetry readings to annual events like Homecoming and Campus Ruckus, are examples of how SAB is not just a programming board. It is a vehicle through which the UK student body can be engaged, educated, and enriched beyond the classroom doors.

More than that, Ewing said SAB is a place where its own leaders grow.

“Really, it is a place where we can be ourselves, and not worry about meeting some of the misconceptions that exist when you come to college,” said Ewing, a rising Senior from Covington, Ky. “SAB has shaped my college experience.

“Looking back, I hope to see SAB and know it’s not just about providing entertaining events, or educational events, or enriching events, but it’s all of those together. I think that’s something that should be celebrated.”

uksab.org

Background: Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks speaks during SAB’s SpeakBlue Distinguished Speaker Series event.

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