Tusculum students give back to the community

With Tusculum College’s focus on instilling characteristics of good citizenship as part of its curriculum, students can often be found in activities serving others, whether it be part of a course or in a student organization.

Below are three recent examples of Tusculum students stepping forward to serve the community and help those in need.
Student-athletes raise close to $1,400 for breast cancer awareness

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Members of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council (PSAAC) raised the funds in October to benefit the efforts of breast cancer awareness and research.  Numerous sporting events during the month were designated by the student-athletes, including the Tusculum volleyball team as their “Dig for the Cure” match raised over $1,000 to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The PSAAC serves as the voice for student-athletes at Tusculum College to institutional leaders in matters of NCAA rules, regulations and policies that directly affect the student-athlete experience at Tusculum.

The PSAAC works diligently to give back to the local community, most notably its support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Since 2003, NCAA Division II student-athletes have raised more than $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Service-Learning class collects 1,600 pounds of food and supplies for Second Harvest Food Bank

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Tusculum College students recently conducted a drive to collect food and other supplies for Second Harvest Food Bank. The students, members of a “Service-Learning in Northeast Tennessee” class, organized, promoted and conducted the drive as a way to combat hunger in the region. The two-week drive collected 1,605 in pounds of canned and boxed food as well as items such as diapers for Second Harvest Food Bank. The students placed containers to collect items in high traffic areas in a number of buildings on campus and also collected items and cash donations at athletic and theatrical events on campus. “These students really do care about helping others, and now they are learning how to take those feelings and put them into action,” said class instructor, Robin Fife, assistant professor of social sciences.

Tusculum students host Greeneville Middle School students for Christmas program

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Tusculum College student Brooke Haymaker, a senior from Kettering, Ohio, leads students from Greeneville Middle School in an activity to illustrate the meaning of the Kinara candles in the Kwanzaa celebration during a recent holiday program for the GMS students at the college.  The Center for Civic Advancement hosted the holiday program that was coordinated by five students, Brittany Connolly, a senior from Greeneville; Trevor Lund, a sophomore from Andover, Conn.; Samantha Lyons, a sophomore from Rogersville; Jessica Shipley, a senior from Greeneville, and Haymaker, who are members of a service-learning course taught by Robin Fife, associate professor of social science at Tusculum. The GMS students are part of the GAME (Greeneville After-School Mentoring and Enrichment) Program, with which Tusculum students work on a regular basis. The Tusculum students shared information about the holidays of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas with the GMS students and led them through activities, crafts and games related to each of the holidays. The students also enjoyed some holiday-related snacks. The event ended with the GMS and college students playing basketball together in the Pioneer Gym.