Honors Program organizes Holiday Pajama Party to help underprivileged children in Mount Pleasant

Courtesy: Kyle Terwillegar

Honors student Megan Gill assembles a package
for an underprivileged young girl in the Mount
Pleasant community at last year's Holiday
Pajama Party, which provided more than
50 children with holiday gifts.

With the holiday season – and its cold weather – fast approaching, the Central Michigan University Honors Program is looking to spread some holiday warmth with its third annual Holiday Pajama Party.

For the third consecutive year, the Honors Program will be hosting a holiday party Friday, Nov. 11, from 2-4 p.m. in Powers Hall 136 focused on creating holiday-themed packages of pajamas, greeting cards, ornaments and other small gifts for underprivileged children in the Mount Pleasant area.

The event is sponsored and organized by the Honors Program Philanthropic Society, and is open to anyone willing to provide a $10 donation to the cause. In previous years, the event has provided upwards of 50 children in the Mount Pleasant community with a special, and often unexpected, holiday gift.

“For the most part, we are all used to being lavished with decorations and gifts during the holidays,” co-organizer and first-year Honors student Courtney Overbey said.

“But to not be expecting any and then to be surprised with them thanks to the CMU community? The holiday season is just as much, if not more, about giving than it is about receiving.”

A $10 donation to the Honors Program office in Powers Hall 104 by Wednesday, Nov. 9, allows students, faculty, staff, alumni and Mount Pleasant community members the opportunity to put together the packages for underprivileged children. All attendees will also be treated to snacks throughout the afternoon against the backdrop of classic holiday movies and music.

The goal is to provide packages to at least 50 children this winter.

“While $10 may be a fair amount of money for the average college student, the cause it is going toward is very worthy – imagine yourself without any presents or decorations this holiday season,” Overbey said.

“We’re working to make sure that all of the Mount Pleasant community has an opportunity to have an enjoyable holiday season, knowing that the Honors Program and the CMU community is looking out for them and is always there to help.”

Those who are interested may RSVP in the Honors Program office in Powers Hall 104 until Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. For more information, please visit the office, e-mail honors@cmich.edu, or go to the facebook event page.

Geography Professor to Discuss Biking Across America at Honors Program ‘Fireside Chat’

Courtesy: Kyle Terwillegar

Dr. Mark Francek of the Central Michigan University Department of Geography put some miles on his bike when he led the "Biking Beaver Island" Honors course this past summer, but the sum of those miles pales in comparison to his greatest cycling achievement: Biking across America.

Twice.

Francek will hold a public talk about his experiences Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in Larzelere Hall’s terrace-level study room known as “The Tomb” as part of the Honors Program ‘Fireside Chat’ series. The Honors Outreach Network is organizing the series, which is an Honors tradition from years past revived for the 50^th Anniversary of the Honors Program.

Francek will speak about the two rides across the country he has taken – the first from Rochester, N.Y., to San Francisco and the second from Charlestown, S.C., to Vancouver, British Columbia – and how the trek is microcosmic of life in a lot of ways.

“You can bike even when there’s a wind in your face, hills to conquer, and rain soaking your bones,” said Francek, who teaches such topics as physical geography, soil science, earth science education, and global positioning systems. 

“If you can overcome these trials, getting a Ph.D, raising teenagers, writing a book, or surviving cancer is less of a test.”

Since taking up cycling as a high school student in Rochester, N.Y., going on trips as long as the 150+ mile ride to Thousand Lakes, N.Y., it has become a passion of Francek’s.

“Speeding along in a vehicle at 70 mph, you miss the flower on the side of the road,” he said. “While hiking you can’t cover too much ground and you end up staring at your feet after a while. Biking allows you intimate contact with the landscape yet covers enough distance to allow a cross-country bike trip within a couple of months.

“There’s no better way to see America. You’ll meet unique characters, enjoy hospitality of locals, and see landscapes you’ll never forget. You’ll also lose weight!”

For more information, please contact the Honors Program office and visit the Facebook event page.

Honors student John Phillips nominated for Rhodes Scholarship

MOUNT PLEASANT - John Phillips of Manistee, a senior with a triple major in biology, environmental studies and history at Central Michigan University has been nominated to compete for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship and the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in England.

The Rhodes Scholarships, established in 1902 and named after the late Cecil Rhodes, are the oldest international postgraduate scholarships.  Students are evaluated according to scholastic accomplishment, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, leadership instincts, and physical vigor.  Rhodes himself outlined these standards to ensure that academics, physicality in leading and personal character be equally considered in an applicant. 

           

Phillips, who is planning to pursue a career in conservation biology, is an Honors student and recipient of a Centralis Scholarship, CMU’s most prestigious academic award.  He has substantial laboratory study and international fieldwork as well as conference presentations and publications in herpetology. 

Phillips has also compiled an extensive record of community-service with evidence of strong leadership for civic engagement activities. Through Alternative Breaks at CMU, Phillips helped repair hurricane-damaged homes in Mississippi, performed environmental services in the Gulf of Mexico, and will soon be leading volunteers in nature-conservation projects in the Everglades. 

President and a member of the CMU Triathlon Club, Phillips devotes considerable time to training and to athletic development and led his team in numerous collegiate triathlons, including the 2011 USAT Collegiate Championships.

Each year, about 32 US representatives from nearly all fields of study are among the approximately 83 total Rhodes Scholars worldwide. 

After soliciting letters of support from faculty and other university staff, Phillips submitted his application to Rhodes with strong endorsement from the National Scholarship Program.

“John’s exceptional accomplishments and potential make him a very competitive candidate for this prestigious award,” said Phame Camarena, director of University Honors and the National Scholarship Program.  “He is an outstanding example of the talented students attending CMU.” 

Elected 2011 Rhodes Scholars will be announced in November.

To find out more about the Rhodes Scholarships and other National Scholar Programs, visit the CMU National Scholarship Program website.

Balancing Honors and Athletics (via Grand Central Magazine)

Being a student is hard enough some times, let alone being an Honors student.  Add balancing intercollegiate athletics, community service and a social life to that mix and you get an idea of the daily life of Breanne Lesnar, a cross country runner and Centralis Scholarship recipient at CMU.

How does she do it? As Grand Central Magazine found out, through a lot of hard work and perseverance. Click here to read Breanne's story.