02 Sep Students Plunge into Volunteerism

Hundreds of Huntington University students plunged into their college experience by volunteering at several places throughout the Huntington community on August 23.

For 15 years, the university’s new students have participated in the Joe Mertz Center’s Volunteer Plunge. This year, 28 teams comprised of more than 350 freshmen and transfer students, 28 mentor students, and 30 faculty worked on projects from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Volunteer Plunge is a part-day of community service held each year in conjunction with Huntington University’s three-day new student orientation.

The teams helped with painting, cleaning out facilities, building maintenance, lawn care, mulching, washing vehicles, socializing with nursing home residents, picking up litter and repairing fences.

Said Grace McBrayer, director of first year students and volunteer service, “A summer’s worth of orchestration culminated as students and staff spread out into the community of Huntington and a bit beyond. Certainly many thanks go to the myriad of people and organizations willing to host our students out in the community, as well as the Joe Mertz Center student staff who worked hard during the days before the plunge to arrange details regarding the vans, work supplies and other logistics.”

Service locations for the 2008 Volunteer Plunge included the Huntington Head Start, YMCA, Bible Baptist Church, Homier Baseball Field, The Church of Our Glorious King, Salamonie Interpretive Center, The Huntington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Helping Paws, Miller’s Merry Manor, the Huntington County Boys and Girls Club, Salamonie Reservoir, College Park Church, Victory Knoll, Love INC, Pathfinder Services, Forks of the Wabash, Dan Quayle Center, Riverview Middle School, Good Shepherd Church, Huntington Church of the Brethren, Huntington First Church of the Nazarene, Kids Kampus, Springwater Church 509 Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity.

Founded in 1992, the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service has become an integral part of Huntington University campus life. During the 2007-2008 academic year, students, faculty and staff volunteered for more than 12,900 hours, serving families, organizations and programs.

The JMC is a student-directed organization that mobilizes the campus community for Christian service. The JMC aims to involve students in the local community, instill a lifelong tendency toward service and promote the idea that one person can make a difference. The Joe Mertz Center has been listed as an exemplary program in the John Templeton Foundation Honor Roll of Character-Building Colleges.

02 Sep Huntington University Teams with Attaboy

When Attaboy launches its Rock Hop & Roll tour in September, three of the band members will take their alma mater with them. The Huntington-based alternative rock group has partnered with Huntington University.
Attaboy includes (left to right) Micah Beckwith, Amos Caley, Jeff Edgel and Chris Brumbaugh.

• Drummer Micah Beckwith graduated from the university in 2005 with a double major in business management, and economics and finance.
• Amos Caley, also a 2005 alumnus, has a bachelor’s degree in Bible and religion.
• Guitarist Jeff Edgel majored in elementary education and graduated in 2004.
• Though bassist Chris Brumbaugh is not an alumnus, he has lived in Huntington all of his life and is a United Brethren member.

“I’m really impressed because we’re always touring, and we’re always thinking about how we can market ourselves creatively,” said Caley, vocalist and pianist for Attaboy. “We’ve seen many colleges and universities not thinking the same way. They don’t try things out of the box….We’ve never seen a university hitch its wagon to a band. We’re fully anticipating extending the partnership.”

From the university’s standpoint, Attaboy offered access to thousands of teenagers and young adults who otherwise may have never heard of Huntington.

“It’s a catchy way to get students’ attention,” said Nate Perry, the university’s director of undergraduate admissions. “Obviously, music is popular. Young people love music. The other thing is for Attaboy, it’s not just about being in front during a concert. It’s about trying to build relationships with students. Students truly appreciate that. Anyone can get on stage and play, but it takes someone special to develop relationships with an audience.”

The partnership involves co-branding between the band and the university – everything from Web site links to T-shirts to concerts at the university.

Attaboy’s music has appeared on three promotional CDs and one DVD for the university. Acoustic hip-hop artist Heath McNease and indie-rock newcomers The Fabulous also have tracks on the CD and are part of the Rock Hop & Roll tour.

“With this CD, the university has the power to help us get our music out to thousands of people that we wouldn’t have access to otherwise,” Beckwith said. “That’s great for us. It helps us tremendously as a band to have that level of exposure.”

Creatively, the band’s messages resonated with the audience that Huntington targets with its admissions efforts.

“Another pretty natural connection is that the music we write is very focused around junior high, high school and early college students – their struggles for acceptance, maturity, trying to figure out who they are. Those questions lead to much of our songwriting. We try to add a positive spin with hope and encouragement.

“I think the overall message of our concerts blends well with the message Huntington wants to send with its education. It’s a match made in heaven.”

The month-long Rock Hop & Roll tour kicks off at the South Whitley United Methodist Church in South Whitley, Ind., at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6. For more information, log on to www.attaboyonline.com.