SPSU helping to sponsor Marietta Labor Day race
Mayor Steve Tumlin has proposed that the City of Marietta partner with SPSU and Life University in sponsoring a 5K or 10K race on Labor Day.

Tumlin envisions showcasing Marietta and the universities by having the race start on one campus, proceed to the Marietta Square and end on the other campus. The event will fill the gap – albeit on a smaller scale – left by the U.S. 10K Classic, traditionally held on Labor Day on Cobb Parkway in Smyrna. The organizers of that race are taking a one-year break due to reduced sponsorships.

SPSU President Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher and Life University President Dr. Guy Riekeman have endorsed Tumlin’s plan, which calls for any race profits to be
donated to SPSU, Life University and the Marietta Police Department.

Campus police to offer Safety Awareness Program
Staying alert and prepared for potential danger is key to maintaining personal safety. To this end, the SPSU Police Department is planning to launch a Civilian Safety Awareness Program this summer for SPSU faculty and staff members, students and local residents.

The program will consist of a three-hour course covering, among other things, avoiding dangerous encounters, using verbal commands to enhance personal safety and legally using pepper spray for personal defense.

Each offering of the course, which costs $30 per person, is limited to 24 participants, and additional sessions will be scheduled throughout the year. If you are interested in registering for this course, please contact Jennifer Ashman at jashman@spsu.edu to discuss scheduling.

Communications class educates campus, raises $500 for animal care
SPSU students recently teamed up with Our Pal’s Place to promote better health care for domesticated pets.

Our Pal’s Place, an animal advocacy organization, works towards resolving animal welfare issues. Their services consist of a pet adoption facility and an education center.

As a part of a course project for Dr. Kim Haimes-Korn’s Small Group Communication class, students Cherise Randle, Rhonda Forde, Sharon Roberts, Xin Tong, Chulen Xu and Boya Li set up an on-campus information table to explain the importance of spay/neuter and heartworm treatments and collection donations.

Also in attendance were three canine members of Our Pal’s Place: Piper, Tucker and Connor. The dogs brought
a lively energy to the event and helped lure students and faculty and staff members to the table, resulting in donations of nearly $500 for heartworm and spay/neuter treatments.

Nine players recruited to 2011-12 Lady Hornets
Laquanda Dawkins, head coach for the SPSU Lady Hornets basketball program,
is enthusiastic about the team’s prospects for the season ahead. She recently announced the signing of nine promising players from six states.

“We are extremely excited about our new recruits,” said Dawkins. “These student-athletes are a
great addition to our next chapter as an NAIA program. We’re anticipating great things based on the wealth of experience and accomplishments of this recruiting class.”

The new roster includes Academic Honor Roll and National Honor Society members, McDonald’s All-
America nominees, District MVPs and All-Tournament,
All-State/Region and USA Today Player of the Week honorees.

Joining returning players Tara Hay, a rising junior guard, and Winnie Markey, a rising senior forward, this fall are:

Ashlie Billingslea, Stone Mountain, Ga., junior, guard
Maylynda Hull, Memphis, Tenn., freshman, guard
Raquel Jones, Houston, Texas, senior, guard
Chase Morgan, Jonesboro, Ga., senior, forward/center
Megan Nelson, Lithonia, Ga., freshman, guard
Jacque Schadeck, Sacramento, Calif., freshman, guard
Taylor Singleton, Brooklyn, N.Y., freshman, power forward
Dominique Smith, North Little Rock, Ark., junior, forward
Madison Strickland, Gainesville, Ga., freshman, forward.

March with SPSU in Marietta’s July 4th parade
The SPSU Alumni Association has arranged for the university to participate in the City of Marietta’s Fourth in the Park Celebration and Let Freedom Ring Parade. A delegation of university alumni, staff, faculty and students plans to march in the parade with an SPSU banner and the bathtub race vehicles.

If you are available on the morning of Mon., July 4, please consider joining the group, and feel free to bring friends and family along with you. Please plan to show your school pride by wearing an SPSU shirt or something green.

Parade participants are asked to assemble at Roswell Street Baptist Church by 8 a.m. The parade starts at 10 a.m., and the route is approximately 1.5 miles long.

R.S.V.P. to Pierrette Maillet, director of Alumni Affairs, at pmaillet@spsu.edu or Ext. 7702.

SPSU gets calculating with new Accounting Club
The SPSU Accounting Club is one of the newest clubs to form on campus, with Arthur Vaughn, SPSU controller, and Dr. Don Ariail, accounting program coordinator, as advisers. The club’s objective is to provide a place for all students to find academic (both accounting and non-accounting) help in the pursuit of a future career.

The club will offer professional mentorship and networking services, information about certifications available in the field and guest speakers from various accounting specialty fields.

The Accounting Club has a total of 18 members and counting. Although it is still in the “building stage” according to its student president, Lloyd Terry, the organization already has an approved constitution and officers. Other officers include: Joelle Day, president-elect; Caitlin McCarthy, secretary; Aazim Lalini, director of membership; Bryeanna Jamison, director of communications; and Saazid Lalani, director of education.

Organizers hope to have speakers from various companies visit the campus to address club members on their personal experiences in the industry and offer helpful advice. Plans for the fall semester will be sketched out over the summer term.

Have news to share?
If your department has an upcoming event or other news to share with the campus community, please send an e-mail with all the pertinent information to Diane Payne (dpayne@spsu.edu). To be considered for use in a specific issue of the SPSU Hornet’s Nest, a news item must be submitted no less than four weeks before the date of the issue.

Volume 4, Issue 23
June 22, 2011