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Campus Review
August 15, 2014
Community Engagement at
Clayton State – Everyone’s Involved
It’s an authentic part of Clayton State
University – providing community sup-
port throughout the region.
This community engagement extends to
all academic units, providing students,
faculty and staff with the opportunity to
serve their community in a variety of pro-
grams. Just during the past year, this
aspect of Clayton State’s supportive com-
munity has provided mutual benefits
through varied programs ranging from a
Lego competition, to dental hygiene serv-
ices, to income tax preparation, to
Constitution Week.
First Lego League (FLL) is a global pro-
gram created to get kids excited about sci-
ence and technology. FLL utilizes theme-
based challenges to engage kids in
research, problem solving, and engineer-
ing.
Each year, the College of Information and
Mathematical Sciences (CIMS) holds the
FLL Super Regionals in the Baker Center,
a program that has been so successful that
the January 2015 version will be related to
one of this year’s PACE classes.
The competition for regional young
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) whizzes ages nine to 14
is an all-day event, directed by Assistant
Professor of Mathematics Dr. Scott
Bailey. It’s a true group effort with a lot of
help from volunteers from the Clayton
State Honors Program, The Loch Shop,
and Clayton State’s dining service,
Sodexo.
“It’s miraculous how faculty and students
come together before the competition and
are committed to making it an enjoyable
event for the kids and their families,” says
CIMS Assistant Dean Jarrett Terry.
Another January event involves Clayton
State Dental Hygiene faculty and students
providing a Day of Service for the com-
munity in honor of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. The Clayton State Dental
Hygiene Clinic treats new patients with
oral-health screening, X-rays and patient
education services free of charge.
“The sound of Dr. King’s voice still res-
onates within the hearts and minds of
those who love peace and serving others,”
says Dr. Gail Barnes. “Unfortunately,
many in our community have experienced
poor oral hygiene due to a number of rea-
sons such as lack of dental insurance and
low income.
“Students and patients provide mutually ben-
eficial services that last long after the
appointment is over. Dr. King would certain-
ly be proud of our Dental Hygiene students
for their participation in the annual Day of
Service, since it coincides with what he
believed – to love and serve humanity.”
Shortly after the Day of Service, Clayton
State’s longest-lasting community service
project kicks into high gear. A program of
the College of Business at Clayton State,
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
is a national program that provides tax
support for certain eligible taxpayers.
The program, which has been in existence
for 40 years, also provides the volunteer
tax preparers with extensive IRS training
and testing. The student volunteers can
then ensure that taxpayers will have their
tax returns filled out accurately and time-
ly and receive the tax credits they qualify
for, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit
and the Child Tax Credit.
Students can also benefit from having
VITA volunteers prepare their taxes,
because the volunteers are trained in the
rules for the credits available for tuition
and other school-related expenses. The
VITA program also prepares state income
tax returns and provides free e-filing
options to ensure clients receive their
refunds as soon as possible.
“Clayton State University is proud to be
the only university in the state of Georgia
that has successfully participated in the
VITA program for 24 consecutive years,”
says VITA Program Director and Clayton
State Associate Professor of Law Dr.
Judith Ogden.
The 2013 VITA was given a Performance
Award Grant from the Atlanta Prosperity
Campaign, an honor Ogden attributes to
the work of that year’s student volun-
teers…
Carl Bostic, Atlanta
Cuthbert Agbor, Austell
Bertha Amosu, Peachtree City
Lillie Brantley, Fayetteville
Geraldine Gaines, McDonough
Lisa Moller, Lithonia
Krystal Olmos, Fayetteville
Baonhan Pham, Jonesboro
Maria Quintero, Stockbridge
Sheri Shelton, Locust Grove
Breanna Smith, Hampton
Patricia Sparrow, Jonesboro
Derrance Vickson, Peachtree City
Tracy Lynn Young, Stone Mountain
Every September, led by the Political
Science Department, Clayton State takes
part in the national Constitution Day cele-
bration. This past September, under the
direction of Associate Professor of
Political Science Dr. Joseph Corrado, an
acknowledged expert on the subject of
gun control, a half dozen Clayton State
students debated the subject of Guns on
Campus in front of a large audience that
included 120 students from Rex Mill
Middle School.
Also taking part, in addition to moderator
Corrado, were Clayton State Professor of
Education Dr. Mary Hollowell, several of
her undergraduate education majors, and
Clayton State Teacher Education graduate
Cindi LeMon, who also happens to be a
seventh grade social studies teacher at
Rex Mill Middle.
The Clayton State students on the panel
were a diverse group of three political sci-
ence majors (Damian Loback, Krysten
Long, Kendra Wilson), a sociology major,
Ivan Dowdell, an economics major,
Zakery Daniel, and a computer network-
ing major, Ashley Catron.
More broadly, when the subject of com-
munity engagement among Clayton State
students is raised, the first response typi-
cally is “AmeriCorps.”
Engagement, cont’d., p. 6