Village 401 in Action!

Some Highlights of Spring 2002

• Seven Steps, Greensboro College's exciting faculty jazz group, participated in two of the "Friday at Five" events sponsored by Action Greensboro as a part of helping bring people downtown.

• Dr. Cheryl Brown's Sociology Qualitative Methods class worked with the National Conference of Community and Justice to develop an instrument to assess attitudes of high school students participants prior to their summer 2002 participation in Anytown, USA, a program of the NCCJ to help youth better understand and value diversity.

• Dr. Calhoun Bond succeeded in getting the stream along the east side of the campus officially named "College Branch." He joined students and other volunteers in cleaning and maintaining the stream as a part of Stream Watch & as well as using it for teaching opportunities.

• Greensboro College's Dr. Lisa Gunther-Lavergne, in cooperation with the College's Dr. Cheryl Brown, arranged for students in her Psychology Research Methods class to collaborate with the Greensboro Children's Museum in developing a data-measuring instrument.

• The survey was designed by the students and Drs. Gunther-LaVergne and Brown with crucial input from museum staff members. The primary goal of the survey was to assess the museum's effectiveness in meeting the educational and socio-emotional needs of its young patrons. The survey also provided a means of assessing parents' satisfaction with the museum.

• Over the course of the semester, the students created the survey, administered the survey to museum visitors over a period of several weeks and then input and analyzed the collected data. Students created graphs and tables depicting the results, and they discussed some recommendations for the museum based on their findings.

• At the end of the semester, a formal evaluation was completed by Dr. Gunther-LaVergne and sent to the museum. This project was a fantastic opportunity for our students, in that they had the benefit of experiencing research design, analysis and interpretation firsthand.

• Village 401 joined the YWCA in sponsoring its Racial Justice Program in May, featuring Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Five Greensboro College students attended the dinner program.

• The school's "Into the Streets" day and other service projects of campus clubs and organizations were directed to programs in Village 401, as were internships whenever possible.

• The Academic Athletic Student Organization provided a children's sports day for second-graders from Bluford Elementary School. Student athletes and coaches came together to offer mini-clinics in soccer, basketball and football. One little girl's comment while participating summarized the children's response to the event: "This is the bestest time I ever had!"

• The Psychology Club conducted a children's book drive and donated the books to the Guilford Native American Association Child Care Center and to the Black Child Development Institute of Greensboro. Club members delivered the books on a Saturday morning to the Black Child Development Institute and read to the children as part of the organization's enrichment program.

Numerous other classes and organizations were involved in Village 401 projects during Fall Semester 2001 and Spring Semester 2002.

Some Highlights of Fall 2002

• Village 401's "A College Remembers and Honors" program on Sept. 11, 2002, has been highly lauded throughout the city as an example of how a college can make a difference in a community.

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• Approximately 500 volunteers from Greensboro College gave two or more hours on this day to volunteerism. Agencies and organizations served include Senior Resources of Guilford, Youth Focus, YWCA, Mary's House, Fisher Park Historic Neighborhood, Greensboro Public Library, Bennett College/Project Uplift, Greensboro Historical Museum, Greensboro Parks and Recreation, Family Life Council, Habitat for Humanity, Greensboro Fire Department, Guilford County Public Schools, Goodwill Industries, Grassroots Productions and others.

• Throughout the day the school offered panel discussions and other forums; special music; an art exhibit, "September 11: One Year Later"; poetry readings; an interfaith service; and other programs.

• Greensboro Middle College students participated in the volunteerism efforts and events on campus. The day ended with more than 300 students, faculty, staff and community guests at a candlelight vigil around the fountain on front campus.

• Dr. Cheryl Brown's Quantitative Methods sociology class began developing a quantitative instrument for the National Conference for Community and Justice in Greensboro to be used with Anytown, USA. The instrument is to be ready for use by the end of the year. The purpose is to determine the effect of the Anytown program conducted during the summer 2002.

• The Greensboro College Psychology Club provided leadership in organizing book discussions around Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying, the book selected for One City, One Book - a project of the Greensboro Public Library and the Friends of the Greensboro Public Library. Three centers with book clubs in Village 401 read and discussed the book: Gateway Plaza, Tolbert and Morehead-Simpkins.

• Suzanna Campbell, president of the Psychology Club; Jacqueline Oates, office manager in Religious Life/Life Enrichment; and Dr. Willie Taylor, director of Village 401, served as readers for senior citizens residing at Gateway Plaza, a facility of the Greensboro Housing Authority.

  

• Amy Whitaker, Jessica Heckert and Katy Moore, residents of Greensboro College's service house - The Campbell House - conducted their service projects in Village 401. Amy tutored at the Black Child Development Institute, Jessica worked at the Women's Resource Center and Katy volunteered at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital.

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