DIVERSITY & EDUCATION
Mentoring Course
Orientation Sessions
Outside Campus

Community Outreach: Leaving the Ivory Tower

Rachel Puckett

Rachel followed up on an embedded service project that she had participated in with New College, conducting survey and assessment research to investigate the effects of embedded service learning (where volunteers live in the communities they serve) versus traditional formats.

She found significant support for the increased impact of these residential programs -- serving out community takes hard work and dedication!

Corrin Klang

Corrin designed and implemented a 4 week nonviolent education program for youth in Northport, AL public housing neighborhoods. Partnering with the Brown House Ministries after school program, Corrin taught lessons on verbal and physical violence, ways to avoid their hurtful behaviors, and skills in conflict negotation to two dozen local youth.

Chris Smith, Ted Cohen & Lindsey Belyew

Violence can be an unfortunate part of campus life, and with UA's rapid growth in student body, it is vital that our safety resources keep up with the increased threat.

Chris, Ted & Lindesey adapted an online education tool already in place for alcohol awareness and redesigned it for safety education. Consulting the local and campus police forces, they worked to help inform students of safe and unsafe behaviors and the resources available for achieveing a safe experience while at UA.

Melody Hoffman, Allie Walsh, Paige Washburn

These scholars of interpersonal communication decided to apply their learning to an area dearly important to them all: relationships. As a group of best friends, this group brought the strength and energy of their friendship to their final academic project.

Melody focused on same-sex platonic friendships, applying uncertainty reduction theory and social identity theory to explain how, in particular, female-female friendships can be a crucial piece to a college student's support network.

Allie Walsh extended some of her prior research into a multi-day communication skills workshop for mothers and daughters. Speaking eloquently about the impace of mothers on daughters, and vice versa, especially through the college years, Allie translated academic concepts into applicable lessons for workshop attendees. She plans on conducting these workshops in her home town.

Paige Washburn attended to a dark side of relationships: bullying. Researching the way race-based and other bias-based bullyiing can occur, Paige looked for communication skills that can be taught to children and young adults to reduce these harmful types of relationships.