Students in Angeles Cossio’s “Basic Design” class have created art you can literally walk all over.
Cossio asked the class to invent and construct footwear that serves a dual purpose.
“The first purpose is simple — you wear them on your feet,” said Cossio, a visiting instructor of art. “The second purpose should reveal another idea that, however practical or impractical, reveals another purpose, function, utility, or usefulness that the wearer might benefit from.”
Essentially, students were asked to create wearable, functioning shoes that also worked as an aesthetic object, a piece of art.
“Shoes can expand out and encompass all of the body,” said Cossio. “The shoe can just be a starting point for something much larger.”
The goal of the project was to increase students’ comfort with experimentation and prototyping.
“It was also very important that they were able to use visual means to express an idea,” said Cossio.
The results more than met the professor’s expectations.
“They exceeded them,” she said. “Everyone worked really hard and pulled off thoughtful ambitious projects,” she said.
Students enjoyed working on the project.
“You could do anything – there were very few requirements,” said Michala Dockweiler, a first-year student from Callaway. She used her dad’s work boots for the project, fashioning them into an owl’s nest using bark and feathers. The owl perching on one of the boots was made from scratch.
“I made the eyes and beak out of clay,” said Dockweiler.
First-year student Lynnea Johnson of Lincoln took a fantasy approach with her project, constructing one shoe into a hobbit’s house and the other into Sauron’s tower from the literature and film classic, The Lord of the Rings.
“It made me think in different ways, how I could use different materials to make art,” said Dockweiler. “It was crazy to see how different and unique people’s shoes ended up.”
“The entire class went beyond the parameters of the assignment to create innovative and creative works,” Cossio added. “They impressed me with the variety and ambition of their projects.”
First year students in Rachel Droogsma’s Liberal Arts Seminar, “The Hunger Games,” are not taking just any introductory college course.
In addition to being introduced to college-level reading and writing, students are learning the importance of compassion and confronting stereotypes through service learning. The class recently participated in Lincoln’s fourth annual Project Homeless Connect, sponsored by the Lincoln Homeless Coalition.
One of many Homeless Connect events taking place across the country, Lincoln’s Project Homeless Connect brought various non-profit organizations together for one day to serve the homeless and near-homeless in the Lincoln community.
Droogsma’s students served for eight hours registering guests, learning what their needs were, and guiding them through the Pershing Center to help them get all of their tasks accomplished. Needs ranged from foot care, to bicycle maintenance, to health screenings, to signing up for food stamps, to finding childcare, housing, food for a pet, and more.
“This is such a unique, face-to-face experience that you can’t get in most other service experiences,” said Droogsma, an assistant professor of communication studies. “We all left feeling like we made a difference because we were so closely connected to each guest getting what he or she needed that day.”
The students’ participation in the event perfectly complemented their LAS topic. The students are studying “The Hunger Games” book series as a societal critique.
“We are examining the hunger games that go on in our communities on a daily basis, with particular attention to poverty, hunger, the gap between rich and poor, healthcare inequalities, and inequalities in education — all of which are addressed in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy,” said Droogsma.
“I also hoped students would confront their stereotypes about people who are poor and/or homeless, better understand their own privilege, and see that people are ultimately more alike than we are different,” she added. “I hoped students would see that they can make a difference in their communities by serving others.”
They certainly did. Students left the event with changed hearts and minds.
“I had this preconceived notion that people living in poverty had made a decision or did something that put them in that situation,” said first-year student Justin Schreiber. “I learned after Project Homeless Connect that a lot of the time, there's some outside force that puts these people out on the streets. I will never just assume anything about homeless people ever again.”
Student Laura Oberg agreed.
“After meeting and interacting [with the guests], I realized that there is so much more to these people and their stories than anyone would ever guess.”
“I'm not exaggerating when I say that helping people is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Compassion goes a long way,” said Oberg. “It doesn't matter who you are or what you're going through, a helping hand does go a long way, and can make a difference, big or small.”
Project Homeless Connect was a special learning experience that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
“Service learning makes course concepts come alive, and what we learned at Homeless Connect could not have been learned in any classroom,” said Droogsma.
“The reason why I love the class so much is because not only are we talking about issues in the world, we're going out and doing something about them,” said first-year student Jenny Hood. “Dr. Droogsma’s LAS class has a chance to not only make a difference, but be one as well.”
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Nebraska Wesleyan’s Communication Studies Department likes to refer to its students and faculty as “Communication Superheroes.” Dave Whitt, Associate Professor of Communication, is no exception.
Whitt recently traveled to Karlovac, Croatia to judge the 17th Annual Youth Film Festival and 5th Annual Four River Film Festival. Attended by high school students from countries all over Europe, the festival featured 70 short films in four different categories, including fiction, documentary, animation, and free-style.
How Whitt ended up judging the film festival is practically from a movie script itself. Two Croatian women earning their master’s degrees at Wayne State College became acquainted with Whitt’s step-mother, and the four had dinner in Lincoln one evening.
“I asked one woman, Marija, what she did, and she said she organized film festivals in Europe. I then mentioned that I teach a film appreciation class at NWU.” Immediately she said "Would you like to come to Croatia and be a juror at our film festival? It was literally that fast.”
The movie script doesn’t end there: Whitt’s flight, hotel, and food were all paid for. “So, basically, I was treated like a rock star,” he joked.
Whitt read extensively about Croatian history, culture, and their civil war to prepare for the trip. It ended up being “one of the best international experiences I’ve ever had.”
The film festival itself featured many “absolutely remarkable” films, including powerful documentaries and “Disney-Pixar Quality” French animated shorts. All the films were in English or had English subtitles. As one of three jurors, Whitt and the other two jurors had the responsibility of judging the top films in each category for both the international entries and then the Croatian entries. Whitt, the first American to judge the festival, also presented the award for the Grand Prix Winner, or best film of the festival.
“I was incredibly honored to have been asked to give out this award,” he said. Whitt also gave a presentation to all the students entitled, “Don’t Be Afraid of Silence, B & W or Citizen Kane: Appreciating Film History.”
“One young woman from Lebanon came up to me after my presentation and said that I inspired her, which meant a lot,” said Whitt.
Visiting Croatia’s national park, the capital city of Zagreb, and the beautiful coast rounded out the experience.
Whitt could be judging film festivals again. A Norwegian film studies club director introduced himself to Whitt in Croatia and together they discussed the possibility of Whitt judging at a Norwegian film festival.
“So, while it wasn't an official invitation, it could be something to look forward to in the future,” said Whitt.
But for right now, he’s content with using the experience next semester as a professor. Whitt plans to talk about Croatia when discussing film in his Mass Media or Film Appreciation classes.
Whitt is currently on sabbatical this semester. In addition to judging the film festivals, he is editing his third book on comparative mythology.
Nebraska Wesleyan’s Communication Studies Department likes to refer to its students and faculty as “Communication Superheroes.” Dave Whitt, Associate Professor of Communication, is no exception.
Whitt recently traveled to Karlovac, Croatia to judge the 17th Annual Youth Film Festival and 5th Annual Four River Film Festival. Attended by high school students from countries all over Europe, the festival featured 70 short films in four different categories, including fiction, documentary, animation, and free-style.
How Whitt ended up judging the film festival is practically from a movie script itself. Two Croatian women earning their master’s degrees at Wayne State College became acquainted with Whitt’s step-mother, and the four had dinner in Lincoln one evening.
“I asked one woman, Marija, what she did, and she said she organized film festivals in Europe. I then mentioned that I teach a film appreciation class at NWU.” Immediately she said "Would you like to come to Croatia and be a juror at our film festival? It was literally that fast.”
The movie script doesn’t end there: Whitt’s flight, hotel, and food were all paid for. “So, basically, I was treated like a rock star,” he joked.
Whitt read extensively about Croatian history, culture, and their civil war to prepare for the trip. It ended up being “one of the best international experiences I’ve ever had.”
The film festival itself featured many “absolutely remarkable” films, including powerful documentaries and “Disney-Pixar Quality” French animated shorts. All the films were in English or had English subtitles. As one of three jurors, Whitt and the other two jurors had the responsibility of judging the top films in each category for both the international entries and then the Croatian entries. Whitt, the first American to judge the festival, also presented the award for the Grand Prix Winner, or best film of the festival.
“I was incredibly honored to have been asked to give out this award,” he said. Whitt also gave a presentation to all the students entitled, “Don’t Be Afraid of Silence, B & W or Citizen Kane: Appreciating Film History.”
“One young woman from Lebanon came up to me after my presentation and said that I inspired her, which meant a lot,” said Whitt.
Visiting Croatia’s national park, the capital city of Zagreb, and the beautiful coast rounded out the experience.
Whitt could be judging film festivals again. A Norwegian film studies club director introduced himself to Whitt in Croatia and together they discussed the possibility of Whitt judging at a Norwegian film festival.
“So, while it wasn't an official invitation, it could be something to look forward to in the future,” said Whitt.
But for right now, he’s content with using the experience next semester as a professor. Whitt plans to talk about Croatia when discussing film in his Mass Media or Film Appreciation classes.
Whitt is currently on sabbatical this semester. In addition to judging the film festivals, he is editing his third book on comparative mythology.
Global Service Learning is growing on campus – literally.
On September 20, Nebraska Wesleyan University kicked off a celebration of 125 years of growth and prosperity, and fittingly, GSL began work on its latest service project: a community garden located right on campus.
GSL members are widely known for their service work locally, nationally and internationally. The groundbreaking of the community garden is the realization of a long-time goal of various campus organizations.
“It will be a way to build community on campus and with our neighbors, said Kelli Wood, Service Learning and Global Service Learning Coordinator. “It will also be a source for good food for people who may not otherwise have access because they do not have space to garden.”
Senior GSL member Mandi Miller agrees. “Anytime Wesleyan can reach out to our surrounding community we can gain a better picture of what it means to be a citizen in the community in which we live.” Miller describes the garden as “a bridge between students and those who live near us.” “There is so much we can learn from the people next door to our dorms,” she added.
GSL members have cleared debris, cut down overgrowth, and started creating paths for the garden, located at 55th Street and Huntington Ave. Raised plant beds and soil treatment are being discussed, and the Big Garden Project out of Omaha will provide some startup funding for garden tools and supplies. As the semester progresses, GSL will bring together a team of organizations and individuals interested in having a plot and will start mapping out the large garden.
“It will be able to hold many plots for those who are interested,” says Miller.
With a projected kickoff this spring, GSL is hard at work preparing the garden. Wood encourages the Nebraska Wesleyan community to get involved. At noon on Sunday, October 7th, the campus community is invited to enjoy a free lunch at First United Methodist Church and listen to speakers discuss hunger issues in the community and sustainable agriculture. At 2 p.m., participants will finish creating paths and spreading soil or compost.
A reflection session will follow on Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. for participants to discuss their service and learning while working on the garden.
“Even though everyone shows up to this garden with a different life story and way of looking at the world, by working together to build something of value for one another, we can learn more than we ever could have alone,” said Miller.
On September 20, Nebraska Wesleyan University kicked off a celebration of 125 years of growth and prosperity, and fittingly, GSL began work on its latest service project: a community garden located right on campus.
GSL members are widely known for their service work locally, nationally and internationally. The groundbreaking of the community garden is the realization of a long-time goal of various campus organizations.
“It will be a way to build community on campus and with our neighbors, said Kelli Wood, Service Learning and Global Service Learning Coordinator. “It will also be a source for good food for people who may not otherwise have access because they do not have space to garden.”
Senior GSL member Mandi Miller agrees. “Anytime Wesleyan can reach out to our surrounding community we can gain a better picture of what it means to be a citizen in the community in which we live.” Miller describes the garden as “a bridge between students and those who live near us.” “There is so much we can learn from the people next door to our dorms,” she added.
GSL members have cleared debris, cut down overgrowth, and started creating paths for the garden, located at 55th Street and Huntington Ave. Raised plant beds and soil treatment are being discussed, and the Big Garden Project out of Omaha will provide some startup funding for garden tools and supplies. As the semester progresses, GSL will bring together a team of organizations and individuals interested in having a plot and will start mapping out the large garden.
“It will be able to hold many plots for those who are interested,” says Miller.
With a projected kickoff this spring, GSL is hard at work preparing the garden. Wood encourages the Nebraska Wesleyan community to get involved. At noon on Sunday, October 7th, the campus community is invited to enjoy a free lunch at First United Methodist Church and listen to speakers discuss hunger issues in the community and sustainable agriculture. At 2 p.m., participants will finish creating paths and spreading soil or compost.
A reflection session will follow on Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. for participants to discuss their service and learning while working on the garden.
“Even though everyone shows up to this garden with a different life story and way of looking at the world, by working together to build something of value for one another, we can learn more than we ever could have alone,” said Miller.
A Nebraska Wesleyan University tradition has reached beyond Lincoln and into the streets of Omaha.
On Saturday, September 8, NWU alumni, University College students, parents, and University staff volunteered 90 hours of service to two Omaha non-profit organizations: Together, Inc. and Timberlake Outreach Center.
In its fourth year, Lend-A-Hand to Omaha is a philanthropic event that connects Nebraska Wesleyan alumni and friends to those in need. The event, part of the University’s 12,500 Hour Service Challenge, typically draws about 25 participants. This year, the 125th anniversary of NWU, the event drew 45 people.
The event followed on the footsteps of the 18-year-old Lend-A-Hand to Lincoln in which new first-year students are joined by NWU faculty and staff for a day of volunteering at Lincoln non-profit organizations.
Jennifer Howe, a University College student studying social work at Nebraska Wesleyan’s Omaha site, spent the morning with her husband at Timberlake Outreach Center. The organization provides free clothing and necessities to low-income families. Howe, her husband, and other volunteers sorted clothing, diapers, food, bedding, and household items for shoppers to peruse.
Timberlake serves families from diverse cultures; Howe met many new immigrants from Korea, Sudan, and other African countries.
“This was a humbling experience for me,” she said. “By volunteering, I have a greater sense of the huge need to provide help to others, especially people who are struggling to meet their most basic needs.”
In addition to helping others, Howe appreciated the opportunities to further connect with Nebraska Wesleyan students and alumni.
“This was a great experience,” she said. “I can’t wait for the next organized Lend-a-Hand.”
Recent graduate Emalee Barto (’12) reflected on her participation in Lend-a-Hand to Omaha with similar enthusiasm. Barto credited her involvement in Greek life at NWU for helping her gain a better understanding of the importance and value of volunteer work. Her experience at Lend-A-Hand to Omaha was a positive one; it allowed her to expand on her ability to understand the variety of volunteering and service opportunities available in the community.
“I gain a sense of pride when I have the opportunity to participate in any Wesleyan event,” said Barto. “I am able to reflect on my past experiences at NWU, continue to grow as an alumna, and make more positive experiences in the future. “
