On Wednesday, March 31, IU Southeast held its annual Campus Commitment to Student Learning Awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of student leaders, organizations and faculty.
The event, entitled “A Cut Above The Rest,” included many awards such as Student Program Council Awards, Greek Awards and the Outstanding Student Organization Award.
Kathy Meyer, orientation and leadership coordinator, said the event was about honoring student leaders for their time and commitment to the campus.
“We have a variety of awards we offer, but the most prestigious awards we give out are our Commitment to Campus Life Awards,” Meyer said.
The Commitment to Camus Life Awards includes Student Awards and Outstanding Faculty Award.
Students are nominated by faculty, staff and their peers. The nominees must complete an application, as well as submit their volunteer hours and a letter of recommendation.
A committee — which is composed of the dean of students, a faculty member, a staff member and two students — verify the appropriate winners.
“Awards are determined by a point system,” Meyer said. “The recipients names are not revealed to the committee until the totals for each nominee have been calculated and they have been ranked in order of points received.”
John Halfacre, chemistry senior, was selected to be on the committee but said he had to decline when he became a nominee. Halfacre was a winner for the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities, as well as the Commitment to Campus Life Student Awards.
“It’s pretty cool to be recognized,” Halfacre said. “Having volunteered for Campus Life for so much time, it’s nice to get something that feels like it’s paid off.”
Halfacre was an orientation leader for two years and volunteered for SPC for a year and a half. He is also the president of the Chemistry Club.
“Chemistry Club has kind of been gone for a couple years,” Halfacre said. “We just brought it back this year, so we’ve been trying to make it a regular thing and get it established.”
One of the biggest awards on the campus, the Outstanding Student Award, was received by Andrew Stillman, chemistry senior.
“Just to be recognized of all the hard word, even if it’s just Campus Life, it means a lot to me,” Stillman said. “It means that obviously they are taking note of what I’m doing. It’s a great honor.”
Stillman is an officer for both Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Sigma, and he is also a member of the Honors Program.
“I volunteer for a lot of stuff on campus, whether it’s just in Campus Life doing whatever pick-up work they need to do or holding events on campus,” Stillman said.
For the first time, Meyer said the awards ceremony has added a category to honor a faculty member who goes above and beyond their academic function. This year the recipient was Rebecca Carlton, senior lecturer in communication.
Carlton is involved with several organizations, such as the Student Life Committee. Carlton is also the faculty sponsor of Alpha Phi.
“When I was a student at IU Southeast, my involvement on campus was such a positive experience,” Carlton said. “When I became a faculty member, it only seemed natural to support and assist others in that capacity.”
By CLAIRE MUNN
Staff Writer
clamunn@umail.iu.edu