'Tis the Season!

Last week the College of Nursing and Health Sciences hosted their annual holiday Christmas Party for students in the college involved in the Living Learning Community, Peer Mentoring, SCRUBS, etc. Almost 100 students attended. All came in their holiday sweaters and ready for a good time. 

There was cookie decorating, writing cards for the troops, an art coloring project, and an ornament exchange. Lots of prizes were given out and the students also did two service projects- they brought a coat for 'Coats for Kids' and also a toy for needy children. 

Every year this gathering allows students to socialize with each other outside the classroom, where faculty can interact too in a casual setting and relax as the semester comes to a close. It's a way to also give back to the community during this time of year which may be difficult for individuals to get through. 

Here is a collage of pictures from the event... 

LLC students representing!

Our faculty are obviously experts in their field, but what we find is that they can also be crazy at holiday parties!

Everyone gathered in the front lobby of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences building in Mansfield. The tree in the background is lit with white lights and beautifully decorated with red bows. 

From the Ashland University family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful holiday.

'Tis the season for giving to and being with others... 

COBE Connection LLC Raises Money for Loan Project

Freshmen business students are able to learn inside and outside the classroom with the interactions of invested faculty members. But the LLC students in the COBE Connection also get the one-on-one attention and outside-of-the-classroom experience with LLC Advisor, Terry Rumker. These students are not only learning information directly related to their future in the business profession, but they are building and fostering relationships with other first year business students.

Mohican State Park

For example, students spent part of a day at Mohican State Park. 

Magic Show

One of the other many fabulous things the COBE Connection LLC does during the year is work with KIVA in regards to providing loans.

Back in October, the COBE Connection students started advertising their Magic Show event. The students hosted a Magic Show in order to raise money for their KIVA Loan Project. Mike the Magician did a great job at the event. The event raised $250, combined with a dollar match from the AU Entrepreneurship Center, which brings the total dollars raised to $500. The COBE Connection LLC will now have $700 to cycle for loans, and at $25-50 per loan they can help a lot more people. 

Time to Chill... and Relax

In Living Learning Communities, we are gathering and meeting... discussing spring schedules and registration... and prepping for end of the semester tasks (like finals!). These discussions alone can be stressful. Therefore this month's meeting for the Living Learning Community in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences was focused on stress and relaxation... which is perfect time considering the semester wraps up soon and finals are right around the corner! 

Guest speaker, Dr. Beth Patton, Associate Professor of Exercise Science, presented information and content which prompted peer discussion to discuss the implications of stress and how it personally affects our lives. We wrapped up with methods to practice stress relief!

Another enjoyable evening!

COMING UP:

"COBE Connections" (The LLC for the College of Business and Economics) is hosting a Magic Show on Nov 17 at 9pm. 

EVERYONE is invited. Any student can come, any faculty member, staff, etc. Come join! Cost is $2 to attend and all money goes to the COBE Connection LLC micro-loan program which lends money to small businesses all over the world. This program has worked with small businesses from 20 countries over the last three years.

Magic Show, starring "Jake the Magic Man"

November 17th at 9:00pm

Student Center Auditorium

$2 minimum admission

LLC members: Please RSVP to aucobellc@gmail.com

All are welcome!

LLC Gathering at Homecoming

We just finished participating in Homecoming weekend- which is always a blast! AU students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, community members, etc- all come together and it's very fun! This year was a little bit more chilly than last year but smiles and laughs still ensued. 

Our annual LLC Homecoming event was next to the Pizza Pizza Pizza tent. (Because you know you have a prime location when you are right next to the pizza.) Win win. 

This was an event for ALL Living Learning Community members. Door prizes and goodies were at the event. There was even time for pictures! This is a picture of some LLC students with the HPL-LLC Advisor, Dr. Karen Estridge. 

One LLC member is in the band!

Ashland University always hosts a welcoming and fun Homecoming Weekend. Everyone is able to enjoy the festivities and then watch the football game in our beautiful stadium. Very fun. 

Our next event...

Another event approaching is a MAGIC SHOW! It's hosted by the College of Business and Economics LLC ("COBE Connections") and EVERYONE is invited. Any student can come, any faculty member, staff, etc. Come join! Cost is $2 to attend and all money goes to the COBE Connection LLC micro-loan program which lends money to small businesses all over the world. This program has worked with small businesses from 20 countries over the last three years.  

Magic Show, starring "Jake the Magic Man"

November 17th at 9:00pm

Student Center Auditorium

$2 minimum admission

LLC members: Please RSVP to aucobellc@gmail.com

All are welcome!

Again, this event will be a charity event, and all donations will directly benefit Kiva; “a micro-lending charity that allows you to invest in startup companies in impoverished countries”

 Learn more at kiva.org

What a great weekend... and please SAVE THE DATE for the Magic Show!

Our Living Learning Communities are in full swing!

Autumn is here. Falling leaves and pumpkins, chilly temperatures which only require a light jacket, students socializing and ordering Starbucks drinks while preparing for upcoming midterm exams...which can be stressful. 

Typical items for an October at AU. 

Side note. Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Lattes are available at the Eagles Nest. Go get one. Delicious. 

But the students in the Living Learning Communities (LLC) are really experiencing the benefits of their LLC membership as this fall semester unfolds. These freshmen students who live and learn with other like-minded students are soaring. We already know of numerous LLC students who have shared their gratitude for being part of this group with various faculty, staff and fellow students. In only 8 short weeks, these freshmen students have seen the benefits and advantages of being an LLC member- the relationships they can foster and gain, and the additional assistance they have available during their transition to college. We even had additional students wanting to be part of this group after hearing the positive feedback from friends. Word of mouth. It's awesome. 

So despite papers and tests, lectures and group projects, all our LLC groups have been meeting monthly and even participating in charity and/or social events within their LLC organization.

For example, The College of Business and Economics has already started another year of micro-lending with Kiva, "a micro-lending charity that allows you to invest in startup companies in impoverished countries." This annual project allows students to raise money and then lend the money out. This year they are lending out five loans in 3-4 countries. One of their upcoming large fundraising events is approaching on Nov 17th at 9pm- a Magic Show! All are welcome! It's in the Student Center Auditorium, and it's $2/person admission, and additional donations are accepted for the purpose of the micro-lending project. The College of Business and Economics LLC is also planning a picnic social at Mohican on November 8th.

Another example- here is a picture of some of the LLC students from the Health Professions Collaborative (HPC) participating in the annual American Heart Association's HeartChase event on-campus! They formed a team and some even took a picture with one of their LLC advisor's, Laura Kruger! These students in the HPC-LLC have an invested interest in serving in the healthcare industry. Participating in the HeartChase event was a perfect correlation to their future professions.

We are so thrilled to join together and collaborate for the benefit of student success! Teamwork, communication, and empowerment- it's going to be an excellent year! 

Let the School Year Begin!

Surely, Ohio brought beautiful weather last weekend when students moved on campus! It was sunny, warm and beautiful. Students were moving in with their friends and families, meeting new roommates again, and taking selfies all over campus. #naturally.

But in regards to the Living Learning Communities, we were also meeting new people- Our new freshmen groups! On Sunday, every college has a Living Learning Community where students form a cohort of students within the same college and these students typically live in the same residence hall/floor and they take some classes together. They build relationships, form study groups, and depend on each other. 

This year's group is another FABULOUS group of students. During the one hour we met, we shared information about ourselves, made connections, participated in some ice breakers, and planned meetings and social gatherings for the academic year. For example, here is the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Living Learning Community called, "The Health Professions Collaborative", because it includes majors of nursing, exercise science, dietetics, and athletic training.  

Before leaving we had to take a group picture!

We have a fun year planned. Our next meeting is Monday where we have many upperclassmen guest speakers. We always have so much fun! 

CASA Living Learning Communities in Curricular Activities

Ashland University wants students to thrive after graduation but also be healthy employees. Also as leaders they can encourage healthy behaviors to their patients, community members, colleagues, students, etc. 

As part of a general education requirement, all students take a Lifetime Wellness course which is an examination and application based course focused on optimizing one's wellness based on theory. One of the spring sections of Lifetime Wellness was reserved specifically for the College of Arts and Sciences (CASA) Living Learning Community. However we had one student enroll in the section who was a business major- in the College of Business and Economics Living Learning Community!

Therefore this group of students had a wide range of career fields and aspirations- social work, criminal justice, biology and medical school, business, etc. It was a great mix! 

On this day in class, students were on the indoor track completing a mini workout while having discussions about appropriate warm ups & cool downs, gathering heart rates, showing appropriate stretches before and after workouts, fast & slow twitch muscle fibers, signs of over-training, and the importance of nutrition during physical activity. 

On another day, the students identified how their individual nutrition habits will impact themselves as a professional in their field, and also how nutrition impacts the individuals who they work with or serve. Students gave many examples such as... 

• Owning a coffee/cafe shop and how long hours of running a business can impact their diet if they typically resort to the pastries available.
• Traveling international to serve children who do not have access to many resources- many, this may include food. 
• Running a business and constantly traveling to shows, venues and at times, feel like you are "living out of your car" or just jumping from airport to plane to airport. 
• Caring for patients in a hospital setting (where nutrition may or may not be a direct issue); and how nurses and physicians have long shifts which can result in grabbing convenient food or going long periods of time without eating.

Even though this group of students has differing interests and passions, the dialogue between peers allowed for respectful and encouraging conversations about their future professional lives. 

Health Professions Collaborative wins the 1st Annual LLC Cup!

As the final event for the Living Learning Communities collaborative event, we hosted the 1st Annual Competition event where LLC teams compete against each other to win the cup! The Health Professions Collaborative won the LLC cup after a fierce competition!

The event was in the Rec Center, coincidentally on an afternoon where hundreds of other people were there for other events too, but let's just say they were all there to root on our teams! ;) 

Here is our group picture of everyone from both teams! 

And the other team:

We had wheelchair races, scooter races, and many other "field day" events. We also hosted a wild game of dodgeball and races on the climbing wall. Students and advisors all participated and it was so.much.fun. The event focused on teamwork, discussions, competition, food, prizes, connecting with each other, the winning LLC cup trophy, and many many laughs. 

But I tell 'ya, competition runs deep to the soul for these folks. They play to win... and that was awesome!

Here are some pictures of all.the.fun!

And dodgeball on the MAC court...

And timed races on the climbing wall...

Even Advisors joined in on the competition!

But we always include food at every event, which was perfect because we were hungry after competing!

What a great event to end the year with these growing student leaders. AND, we already have new freshmen students signed up to participate and engage in next year's LLC groups! We are so excited! As Advisors, we already have dates planned for the first orientation meeting date and activities planned. It will be a lot of fun!

Upcoming All-LLC Competition Event

This week is an important week for our LLC students- registration! Registering for class next semester. Our LLC students are able to register early as being a member. Good luck everyone! 

Also the LLC Advisors from all colleges on campus have been planning a Competition Event as our last event of the semester! Students are excited! All LLC students are invited to attend and anyone can come watch the fun!

1st Annual All LLC Competition Event

Fun games and activities such as dodgeball, the climbing wall, wheelchair races, and more! Everyone who attends will receive an individual prize!

Who: All LLC students 

Where: The Rec Center

Date: Sunday, April 12th

Time: 12pm-2pm

Food will be provided! Winning teams will receive a prize!

Cultural Awareness for the Health Professions

Last night our Health Professions Collaborative (HLC) Living Learning Community had guest speakers present at our March meeting. Our guest speakers were Rebecca Parillo, the Director of Global Education, and Jonathan Locust, the Director of Institutional Diversity.

To say we all had a good time would be an understatement. We all had a great time! So fun! Rebecca and Jonathan provided an educational presentation which was fun and humorous while creating cultural awareness for students in their professional experiences.

The one hour program addressed how cultural differences and diversity is part of every health profession, and students worked together in groups to identify how they would respond in particular case scenarios related to nursing and health science professions. They did a great job! Groups worked together as teams, engaged in critical thinking, and utilized resources to help them with problem solving.

Overall it was a great time get together. Food, laughing, learning, and giveaways... and historically, most of our LLC gatherings include all these factors. In the picture below, Emily Wood and Brittney Miller won big prizes (AU polos!) from our last event- the tailgate for the Women's Basketball Game.

Our April events will wrap up the semester and include a Pizza Party on April 15 at the Mansfield Campus, College of Nursing. Also we will be having a FUN gathering with ALL campus LLC's with games, activities, rock climbing, etc.