Speech Comms Class Project Raises Funds

Some students complete assignments, and some students knock them out of the park. For the team that planned an event that raised $800 for the campaign through a class project, it’s easy to see which category fits.

In her small group communication class, speech communication professor Ann Byrne gave students a broad assignment: Do something that makes a difference. The group, made up of Zack Ford ’07 (Student Government Association president), Julie Fruscio ’10, Brendan Hurley ’10, Megan Kessler ’10, Janelle Ogren ’10, and Kaitlin Shargo ’09, decided to go all out.

“We wanted to provide an event that would be entertaining to students and benefit them too,” says Ford. “Our donation went directly to the fund for the A&E center, so it will help fund a venue that will affect students.” Because the money is going toward the A&E center, like all other center donations up to $4 million, it will be matched by a grant from Atlantic Philanthropies.

The group planned an event called Prom: Take Two. Held in the Walter Beeler Rehearsal Hall in the Whalen Center, the semiformal dance gave more than 100 students the chance to get all dressed up and enjoy an evening of dancing, refreshments, photos, and the crowning of a “king” and “queen”—selected after a dance-off.

Byrne, who often witnesses gratifying results from this assignment, was impressed. “If the students really take ownership [of a project], it becomes something bigger than themselves,” she says. “And that is really gratifying.”

—Kate Levinson ’07

Like these enterprising students you, too, can support the A&E center and make a world of difference in the lives of student-athletes and the entire campus community. This facility really needs your support. Visit ithaca.edu/campaign and click on “Campaign Priorities” at the left, then on “Athletics and Events Center.”