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Mortar Board Virtual Book Drive challenge ends October 15 With only two weeks remaining, and short of the national goal of $30,000, it is time to energize chapter efforts to meet the Mortar Board Virtual Book Drive challenge. The current leading chapters are
Accepting the virtual challenge
Please make sure your chapter reports all donations before the October 15 deadline so that your selected organizations can shop for their books. Your chapter can STILL participate Gather chapter members and hold a fundraiser or two using helpful ideas listed on page 4 of the Virtual Book Drive packet. Donate your group's proceeds online or by check/money order by October 15. Together, your chapter can identify a program (or even multiple programs) that you can directly support with your contributions. For complete details, please download the Virtual Book Drive packet. Chapters with the most donations will receive prizes The top three chapters will receive Borders gift cards in denominations of $500, $250 and $100 respectively to be given to the recipient group/program of their choice. Additionally, the Mortar Board section that raises the most funds will be able to select two programs to receive 500 books each from First Book. Ways to donate
Service: a keystone of Mortar Board On a budget
Going big Executing these large events often requires a strong support system and significant dedication. This may mean the selection a chairperson or creation of a committee to assist in planning and executing the event. To get maximum support, funding and awareness, a chapter may consider pairing with other campus organizations. This can exponentially increase your resources. Beyond the university level, working with a local or national organization such as First Book, Better World Books, Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross can further increase the event's impact. Good examples of some bigger projects chapters hold are Longwood University’s Oktoberfest, Purdue University’s Premier Volleyball Tournament, and The Ohio State University’s World’s Largest Pillow Fight. Get together Reading is Leading Specific events take many forms, such as hosting book drives, trick-or-treating for books, tutoring at local schools and supporting area libraries. No matter the project your chapter chooses, you are dually promoting another of Mortar Board’s ideals - scholarship - whenever you support Reading is Leading. Service-learning
Read Mortar Board’s complete Service-Learning Guidebook to find a way to make service more meaningful for your chapter. Raising funds for your chapter Create a fundraising plan Strategize Gather ideas Consider grants and partnerships Motivate your team Be among the first to fundraise with Blossom Express and earn a $250 grant Mortar Board and Blossom Express are making it easy and profitable for your chapter to hold a graduation flower sale. For those who are already doing a flower sale, you know how successful they can be. For those that are not doing a sale, Blossom Express is sweetening the pot! The first five (5) new chapters who sign up for the Blossom Express program will receive a special, one-time $250 chapter project grant funded by Blossom Express to do anything with you please! No reports, no application fees! Blossom Express helps your chapter by:
I want the $250 for my chapter AND to make some money selling flowers, now what?
Blossom Express Chapter spotlight: Purdue University For more than 80 years the Barbara Cook chapter at Purdue University has continually exemplified excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership and service. Unlike most chapters, members are selected based on a nomination, not application, process. This proves to be rewarding and challenging - rewarding because it recognizes those who are truly worthy of the honor and challenging because some of those outstanding students may not have knowledge of Mortar Board. Despite the diverse group coming together, often lacking familiarity with Mortar Board’s three key ideals, the chapter maintains its strength and prestige with ease. The chapter has been honored nationally numerous times, receiving the first-ever Mortar Board National Citation Award in 1971 for its record of service on campus. This former recipient of the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award (2002) was selected as a Ruth Mount finalist again this summer, also taking home the Golden Torch Award, two Project Excellence Awards and the Best website Award. President Sam Killermann says his best advice to other chapters is to find their niche on campus. “Every campus has different needs or different venues in which your Mortar [Board] chapter can lend a hand - uncover those needs or find those venues and do your best to serve your community.” Killermann goes on to explain that chapters shouldn’t force events or programming simply because it is what they want to do, but should allow their individual campuses to guide the way, showing groups where they can rise to the occasion. Rising to the occasion is certainly something the Purdue group has done. They are well-known for many renowned events, including their women’s volleyball tournament, an annual leadership conference, and their exemplary Reading Extravaganza. Additionally, the chapter awards fellowships, honors underclassmen and sells a campuswide calendar. This year, the group will implement a few new projects to help expand visibility of Mortar Board and promote the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. First, they will introduce a mentoring program in which a current Mortar Board member will be paired with a freshman student in the Purdue Emerging Leaders Program. Additionally, the chapter will borrow an idea from numerous other Mortar Board chapters - the conceptualization of a Last Lecture Series. Killermann explains, “I think it is something that could really tie all of campus (and our local community) to the ideals of Mortar Board by publicly showcasing individuals that have excelled in our world here at Purdue.” For more information on the Barbara Cook chapter, please visit their website or contact Chapter President Sam Killermann at killer@purdue.edu. Your chapter can be in the spotlight too! Nominate your group by sending your chapter name, university, e-mail address and what makes your chapter unique to enews@mortarboard.org. |
Deadlines & Reminders Check your files to ensure that all reports from last year have been submitted. October 15
December 15
January 31
Showcase your accomplishments in the national magazine The perfect opportunity for your chapter to get national recognition is in the semi-annual Mortar Board Forum magazine. The deadline to submit chapter updates or stories for the Mortar Board Forum Fall 2008 edition is Wednesday, October 15. Each chapter's director of communications is encouraged to submit at least one update or news release for publication this year. A great way to see what has been submitted in the past is to view the Fall 2007 or Spring 2008 OnCampus section. Some things you can submit are:
You can submit your story ideas in one of two ways:
Icebreaker of the month The Digging Game Members sit in a circle of chairs with one person standing in the center. The person in the center asks a question, such as "who has brown hair?" and everyone who does has to get up and switch seats. However, a person can not sit in a seat immediately to their left or right or return to their original seat if they are unable to find a new chair. At this time, the person in the center also attempts to find a seat, which will in turn leave another member without a chair to ask a question of their choice. A few question examples:
You may choose to set a time limit, as the game continues until you decide to quit. This is a great way to "dig" up information and help members get to know each other. About INK The Mortar Board INK e-newsletter is distributed monthly throughout the academic year (September - May). All chapter officers and advisors reported on the Officer Address Information Form receive the newsletter. If you think an officer or advisor in your chapter is not receiving the newsletter, encourage them to sign up here. To ensure that you promptly receive the newsletter each month, Mortar Board recommends adding enews@mortarboard.org to your address book or safe-senders list. Archived editions of Mortar Board INK are available online.
From your National Council student representative Hello Mortar Board friends! It was great to meet so many of you this summer at conference and to hear about all the amazing things your chapters are doing. However, I know that as the school year gets going and as people get busy, it gets harder and harder to keep the enthusiasm and drive of conference going. Let me take this opportunity to re-ignite you with that spirit! Remember that you have an entire team of support waiting to assist you - Joseph, me, and the rest of the National Council, the National Office staff, your SC, and don’t forget all the other MB members you met at Conference. Brainstorming with friends made over the summer is one of the best ways to improve and invigorate your chapter - so go for it! That’s what e-mail and Facebook were made for! Perhaps at conference you also found yourself wanting to do more on a national level. Or perhaps since you’ve returned to your chapter you’ve found someone in your group that you think could help the national MB do great things. Terrific! There are so many ways to get involved and we are always searching for members who want to help. Any member can join a national committee simply by letting us know! We have various committees to aid in everything from chapter expansion to communications to governance. Just e-mail me and let me know what strengths you’d like to bring and we can get you assigned. Another way is to become a conference assistant - look for information about that coming in the spring. And, don’t forget, you can always simply e-mail me with suggestions or comments. That’s what I’m here for! I look forward to working with each of you this year! - Katie Katie Schirmer, a recent graduate of Drury University, serves as one of two National Council student representatives. Her two-year term will end in July 2009. The other seat is held by University of Arizona senior and chapter president Joseph Rodriguez, whose term will expire in July 2010. Apply for a Mortar Board is offering a special grant to chapters who hope to enhance their group’s visibility during Mortar Board Week (February 15 - 21, 2009). This grant varies from a typical project grant in that it can be used to cover any visibility costs, from printing T-shirts to buying advertising. The deadline to apply is December 15, so be sure to complete the grant application online this fall! Recipients will be notified in January.
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