LEADERSHIP LETTER

Meet the new LI staffHear all about Eagle Village and ALPHA

Homecoming Dan and Erin’s engagement story

& more!!

September/October 2012 Issue

Jesi is originally from Rochester, Michigan. She received a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Communication with minors in both Lead-ership and Event Management from Central Michigan University. She also received a Masters of Education degree from the College of Student Affairs program at Grand Valley State University. As the Assistant Director of the Leadership Institute, Jesi works closely with students to provide leadership development programs such as the LeaderShape Institute, Connections Conference, Alpha Leadership Ex-perience, and Ignite Leadership. During her undergraduate time as a Chippewa, Jesi was involved in Sigma Sigma Sigma, Panhellenic Coun-cil, was a Resident Assistant in Cobb Hall, and was the Program Assis-tant for Academic Orientation. Currently, Jesi is a LiveStrong Leader for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, she volunteers with Special Olympics Michigan, and she serves on the leadership programming committee for Sigma Sigma Sigma nationals. When asked to reflect upon a favorite memory from her time in college, Jesi shared that the time she spent working for freshman orientation was an amazing experience. “I loved the opportunity to help new students build their schedule and transition to college”, says Jesi. She also said it was the best student staff she had ever had the opportunity to work with. A few interesting facts about Jesi… she enjoys painting and has a cat whose name is James Earl Jones.

Caity is originally from Remus, Michigan. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology/Museum Studies with a concentration in Archaeology from Central Michigan University. As the Administrative Secretary of the Leadership Institute, Caity manages the office and assists with the Leadership Advancement Scholarship competi-tion. She also provides administrative support to the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center as well as the Alternative Breaks program. During Caity’s time as an undergraduate, she had the unique experience of studying abroad in Rome and then serving as a Study Abroad Ambassador upon her return to CMU. She was also involved in the Anthropol-ogy Club, worked at Morey Courts Recreation Center, and coached AAU basketball. Something you might now know about Caity…she enjoys competing in rodeos/barrel racing, hunting, fishing, playing softball, reading, and she can lick her elbow!

Meet the New LI StaffJesi Parker

Caity Sweet

Dan and Erin: From Puppy Love

to Happily Ever After

It has been four years in the making with many people waiting for this moment to come and let me tell you, it’s true; Dan Gaken and Erin Smith are engaged. As I am sure that all of the Leader Advancement Scholars, as well as family and friends, would like to of-fer their Congratulations, our ears are buzzing with the details of the engage-ment. It all happened on a hot July day, Friday July 6th, 2012 to be exact. Dan and Erin had previously purchased a house ear-lier in the summer and it just so happened that the backyard was perfect for a dog. They have a large, fenced in yard that, oddly enough, came with a poop shoot for a dog made by the previous owners.

Dan had wanted a dog for a long time but it was never a possibility with the apartments that Dan and Erin previously lived in. When Dan found him-self wanting a dog, Erin would tell him that they could get a dog when they got married. In the words of Erin Smith, “We are going to get a dog…eventually.”But with this new house, things were starting to look more promising. Many people saw the yard and without hesita-tion had mentioned that the yard was perfect for a dog.On July sixth, Erin came home from work and was surprised when she en-tered to see a dog bowl on the ground. There was water splashed around the bowl. Erin quickly scanned the area and no-

ticed that dog food was on the table, along with a leash and some dog toys. Of course the first reac-tion is to start yelling, “Did you get a dog?!” In her frustration that Dan had gotten a dog with-out her consent, Erin heard him yelling, “I’m up here!” from the second floor. She continued up-stairs and saw Dan stand-ing there. When she saw no dog she proceeded to ask where the dog was. Dan replied simply with, “Hold on, I wanted to make sure you liked the name first,” as he handed her a collar. On the collar was a dog tag that read, “Will you marry me?”It was then, with two cameras rolling in the room, that Dan Gaken got down on one knee and proposed to Erin

Smith. Erin immediately replied with, “Oh my God, are you serious?” To which she followed up with a happy, “Yes.”As I am sure you can imagine, the two are a very happy couple. The weekend followed with a trip to Bay City where they stayed at the Double Tree, a hotel overlooking the river. It was a nice way to celebrate the en-gagement while watching fireworks from the hotel. Dan and Erin will be hav-ing a small, intimate wed-ding in Bay City. They are waiting to get a dog but they will be getting one within the next couple of months. And what does Dan have to say about all of this? Well, he said, “We still don’t have a dog.”

The LAS Class of 2012 was prepared to take COM 267L just as every class before them had, but this time something was different. The professor that had taught this class previously, Dr. Drury, decided to take an academic leave for a year. Nevertheless, this year’s freshmen will still obtain the same experience and knowledge that previous classes have. The Leadership Institute is excited to welcome Dr. Cory Hillman to the LAS family this year. Hillman has held many interesting jobs before arriving at CMU. After receiving his PhD from Bowl-ing Green State University, he remained there to teach for four years. He has also been a DJ for a rock radio station and a writer for the Dodger’s scouting website! Having grown up in Midland, coming to teach at Central is like coming back home to Hill-man. “I was away from it all for ten years so it is weird to be back after so long because so many things are the same”, says Hillman. In regards to teaching LAS students Hillman says, “I feel as if I have to always be on top of my game.” Even though he didn’t know he would be teaching LAS students until after he received the job, Hillman still felt the pressure. He is trying to get the LAS freshmen to become used to liv-ing together in Barnes by teaching them to rely on each other and work together. As of now, it is unclear if Hillman will be returning next year, but the freshmen students are enjoying the opportu-nity to work with such a great professor.

A New COM 267L Professor

October 7, 2012 was officially declared CROP Hunger Walk day in Mount Pleasant. The Leadership Institute has showed overwhelming support for the walk over the past few years and this year was no exception.The Church World Service sponsors the Christian Rural Overseas Pro-gram or CROP. The goal of the CROP Walk initially was to help Midwest farmers share grain with Europe and Asia after World War II. Today, up to 25% of the funds raised from each walk can go back into any community that holds a walk to help out the hungry in their own area. The rest of the money goes to help provide food, water, and career resources to those in need. LAS Junior Hillary Karbowski and LAS Sophomore Adrienne Hall worked with LAS Fresh-men Karen Nixon to get LAS more involved in the walk. Even though it was a cold and rainy day, over 50 LAS students showed up at Island Park ready to walk and make a difference. Three miles later, LAS fundraised $168!

CROP Hunger WalkIt rained, it poured, and we ate smores! The annual Mentor-Men-tee retreat at Eagle Village this year was exciting to say the least. The weekend gave the newest Leadership Advancement Schol-ars a great introduction to the LAS family, as well as a chance to interact with their mentor outside of campus. Arriving in true LAS style, two big yellow school bus-ses drove all 80 students about an hour north of Mt. Pleasant to Eagle Village. The morning began with a mad sprint through the doors to call dibs on bunk beds. Each Mentor-Mentee pair was split into teams that they would stay for the remainder of the trip. The teams then traveled together completing a variety of leadership activities. The retreat focused on seeing leadership in new ways. From the large challenges to simple discussions, there was something to be learned from every moment. The groups were chal-lenged on either the high ropes course or giants ladder. Each task ranged greatly in difficulty for each participant. The facilitators encouraged mentors and men-

tees to challenge each other to try thinking of each task differ-ently. If a task was easily com-pleted the first time, how could it be more challenging the second time? This allowed Mentors and Mentees to push each other to receive the most from each expe-rience. Sophomore Jason McArt saw great growth in his Mentee Kevin Morris on one of the most challenging obstacles. “I noticed that Kevin was pretty nervous about the big jumps on the high ropes course. He jokingly said that he should do this one footed, so I challenged him to do so. With the encouragement from all of his peers and myself, he was able to jump one footed. This was a big turning point for Kevin and I be-cause he felt like he could achieve the impossible with my support.” Team USA also had a unique experience. Moments before beginning their outdoor high ropes challenge, an unex-pected hail storm broke out. Luck-ily, shelter was found in a nearby shed. Freshman Anthony Cavataio shared his thoughts on the event, “The hail was a bittersweet part of our retreat. It was very cold,

but at the same time it allowed us to get closer with each other in the little shed we squeezed into.” With the conclusion of the fist night, everyone gathered around the campfire. Thank-fully, the rain held off as students shared the high points of their day and the personal growth they saw in each other. From poetry to sing-along’s the crowd was enter-tained for the night. As the following day rolled in, the rain rolled in with it. Scattered showers did noth-ing to dampen the LAS spirits. Each group continued to rotate into a variety of activities for the day. After Lunch, the LAS family gathered one last time for closing remarks to discuss the weekend’s impact as a whole. Freshman Haley Alderman found great purpose in the weekend “The LAS Retreat was a wonderful oppor-tunity to bond with the rest of my Leadership family, but also my wonderful mentor.” Her men-tor Trisha Funk also had a great experience, “I had a great time at the Eagle Village retreat. From taking on the high ropes course to laughing at lunch, it was a blast!”

Eagle Village: Boy, Did It Rain!

ALPHA Leadership As the fall 2012 semester began here at Central Michigan University, the leaders on campus did not hesitate to jump right into action. Right from the beginning, the Alpha Leadership Experience started and began to make an impact. The Alpha Leadership Experience is a five-week program, which consists of hands on, interactive development activities that are lead by experienced student facilitators. Throughout each session, partici-pants were consistently asked to step out of their comfort zones, and were given the opportunity to learn more about their personal leadership styles. “Alpha is a great way to network with student leaders from all across campus” says Hannah Long, a freshman participant. She says that her favorite part of Alpha was “getting the opportunity to meet and interact with others who share an interest in leadership.” For freshman Madeline Price, it was not a stu-dent who impacted her the most, but her facilitators. “My facilitators were so easy to connect with. They treated us like their equals, which made the content so relatable,” Price says.Although Alpha is directed toward student participants, senior student facilitator Caitlin Vanbiber told us that she got to see a lot of different perspectives on things and different approaches to certain situations that she would’ve never thought of. Vanbiber ‘s favorite memory as a facilitator was “being able to share the leadership skills and concepts I picked up.” Sophomore Jennifer Drum participated in Alpha last fall and says, “I found what I am passionate about: leadership.” After her great experience with Alpha last fall, Drum decided to take on the challenge of becoming a facilitator. “My favorite part as a facilitator was step-ping back and watching the participants grows in their own leadership style,” Drum says. As the Alpha Leadership Experience came to a conclusion, participants took part in a graduation ceremony. Memories had been made, and cell phone numbers were exchanged. “ I am really going to miss my group and my leaders, but I look forward to seeing them around campus”, freshman Caitlin brown says. Alpha Leadership will return in the spring 2013 semester. For more information you can contact the Leadership Institute at 1-(989)-774-LEAD.

Homecoming AmbassadorsJessie is a senior from Britton, Michigan and is pursuing majors in both English and History for Secondary Education with a minor in Leadership. She is spon-sored as a 2012 CMU Homecoming Ambassador by Zeta Tau Alpha. Jessie is a member of the 2008 LAS class and shared that her favorite LAS memories were living in Barnes hall with all of her LAS class and taking all of the cohort classes together. Jessie has served as the President, New Member Educator, and Pan-hellenic Representative for Zeta Tau Alpha. She has also dedicated her time as a Leadership Safari Guide, Senior Guide, and Core Guide. Jessie has been involved with Academic Orientation as a Student Mentor, a Student Team Program As-sistant, and a Family Team Program Assistant. A few of her other involvements include Campus Ambassador, OWLs, Order of Omega, Rho Lambda, and Mortar Board Honor Society. Jessie’s plans for the future include student teaching this spring and graduating in May. She hopes to find a job in Secondary education as an English or History teacher. A few fun facts about Jessie…she really enjoys spending time outdoors and kayaking/snowmobiling at her cabin near Grayling. Jessie described her experience as a CMU Homecoming Ambassador as awe-some. “The Ambassadors are all amazing people so I feel very fortunate to be in their company this week. It is so invigorating to be in the midst of such school spirit, and camaraderie among the students. All in all, it has been a ton of fun!”

Lisa is a senior from Rochester Hills, Michigan and is pursuing majors in both Organizational Communication and Interpersonal Communication with mi-nors in Leadership, Event Management, and Media Design Production and Technology. She is sponsored as a 2012 CMU Homecoming Ambassador by The GO Effect. Lisa is a member of the 2008 LAS class and described her favorite LAS memory as getting her mentee, Jake. She loves hanging out with him and says that he has been the best mentee and friend. She also spoke about her mentor. “My mentor, although he scared me at first, has taught me so much, and is fun to be around”, says Lisa. Lisa shared that they (her LAS family) have been on some crazy adventures and even though they’re all so busy, she knows there are still many adventures to come! Lisa is currently a Multicultural Advisor and for the past two years has been a Resident Assis-tant in Merrill Hall. She enjoys working with and helping the other staff and students. “You never know what to expect working in a building with primar-ily freshman students.” Lisa is also a leader for the Audience of One Dance Team at His House Christian Fellowship and has been involved with the team for five years. Something you might not know about Lisa…she is currently learning two new languages- Swahili (which has come into effect with her recent travels to Tanzania) and Arabic (because she is Lebanese, she says this is exciting and will be helpful if she decides to go visit her family in Lebanon). Lisa described her entire experience as a CMU Homecoming Ambassador as very humbling and a good reminder of what it means to be part of the CMU community. She has really enjoyed participating in the events and seeing everyone come together on campus.

2012 Homecoming Fall on Central Michigan University’s campus means one thing: a week full of Homecoming festivities. With the theme, “All that Glitters is Chippewa Gold” students were able to show their CMU spirit throughout the week as they took time to remember Central memories and embrace what it means to really be a Chip-pewa. The week kicked off with campus chalking held by the Barnes Hall Council Legacy Com-mittee followed by Program Board’s presentation of the bands All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls. The concert added a new twist to CMU entertainment since the university has not had a rock band perform for several years. Freshman Sam McNerney led Barnes residents through the cre-ation and presentation of a dance mix at the rock rally that will not be forgotten. Though Barnes did not place, many students believe they put on a wonderful show. The highlight of the 2012

Homecoming season for all Barnes residents was the medallion hunt. During the course of the week, hundreds of students spent their evenings searching for the coveted gold medallion. After nights of searching, freshmen Travis White and Libby Siecinski brought home the gold for Barnes Hall…literally. “As freshmen we were the under-dogs,” White mentioned when reflecting on this accomplishment. “We were destined to find it for Barnes in order to put us back on the map. Sometimes since we are a smaller residence hall we tend to be forgotten.” Because of their hard work, Barnes Hall was award-ed with 50 points towards the Maroon Cup as well as $250 worth of Papa John’s pizza. Saturday morning is when the real festivities began. Ten resi-dents of Barnes Hall participated in the Miles for Medals 5K run/walk to support Special Olympics Michigan. Hundreds of students, alumni, and Mount Pleasant residents hit the streets for the

2012 Homecoming Parade. Barnes Hall Council’s float led the way by celebrating the 120th birthday of CMU. The golden beauty took second place in the parade com-petition leading them to second place in the Maroon Cup stand-ings behind Larzelere Hall. Chip-pewa fans flooded Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the football finale of a busy week full of hard work, suc-cess, and fun. Though the Chips fell short to Ball State, Barnes Hall residents enjoyed the eve-ning as they continued to cheer on their boys of fall. Barnes Hall Council President Christina Proulx reflected on the week and con-gratulated the hall by recognizing that although things got stressful at times, our residents had a great time and that is what matters. “I really loved the theme this year” Proulx included. “I learned a lot about CMU’s history.” Homecom-ing has now come and gone, but memories have been made to last a lifetime.

Jessie Ousterhout

LisaZelenak

Spotlight: Alison Timinski

One of the hardest things to do as a college student is to stay focused. With all of the extracurricular activities, friends, and social aspect of college, many people forget the main goal - graduating! Junior LAS Scholar Alison Timinski has not forgotten her main goal. Alison is a Language Arts Major for elementary education with a minor in Leadership. She is one of the many students on our campus in the Col-lege of Education and Human Services. The program is very time consuming, but Alison says it is has been great to become close with her cohort. This program usually takes around four to five years to complete, but through early planning and some tough course loads, Alison is on track to graduate from the program within 3 and a half years! Although Alison has had to take some heavy course loads to stay on track, she is still very involved on cam-pus. Her positions on campus include Vice President of Central Squirrel Club, Ignite Leadership Co-Coordinator, LAS Grad Ball Chair, Kromer Instructional Materials Center Office Assistant and many more. LAS has helped Alison with her major while being involved at CMU. “The Leadership Institute has provided me with countless opportuni-ties to grow personally and profession-ally. The skills I have developed from being in LAS have helped me to be-come a more well-rounded individual and to work more effectively within groups,” says Alison. After completing her degree at CMU, she hopes to find a school to teach in that she will fall in love with. When the time comes for her to have a family of her own, Alison hopes to reside in her hometown of Ludington, MI and teach.

Keep your eye out for the next issue of the Leadership Letter,

brought to you by thePublic Relations LEAD team. If you have any article ideas, or would

like to write one: E-mail Cheyenne Badder

(badde1cs@cmich.edu) or Angela Digiovanni (digio1aa@cmich.edu)