'Dance Across The Decades' Event to Occur at Motlow Smyrna on March 22

     SMYRNA -- Students, faculty, administrators and staff will dance the night away at the "Dance Across The Decades" event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 22 (Friday) in the MLA Mobby on the Motlow Smyrna campus.

     The celebration will feature dancing from the 1920s till today, with a DJ, era music, trivia, prize giveaways, food and beverages. Attendees will enjoy free pizza and have the opportunity to win gift cards and merchandise. 

     Admission is free and open to everyone. The event is sponsored by the Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club (SEAM) with support from the Student Government Association. Attendees are encouraged to dress in period attire.

     For more information, contact Charles Whiting at cwhiting@mscc.edu or Rachel Towle at rtowle0308@mscc.edu. 

SGA Welcomes Students Back to Smyrna Campus

On behalf of myself and my fellow members of the Student Government Association here at the Smyrna campus, may I take this personal opportunity to welcome each and every one of you to Motlow “Spring 2018” and to wish you great success and achievement in your upcoming academic endeavors.

It is a brand new year... and a brand new semester, and this is the time for all of us to begin with a "clean slate" and dedicate ourselves to excellence and achievement in all of our classes. Tuesday, when classes began, was the first day of the rest of your lives.

Your Student Government is committed to representing all of the students at Motlow State. Whether you are an adult learner who has returned to college after several years of being out in the world, or a graduate from straight out of high school ready to make your mark, we will be supporting all of you.

Enjoy this upcoming week and the "goodies" that your Student Government will have out for you to give you a TASTE for your classes. Look out for the announcements of other activities and programs that we will have slated for you throughout Spring 2018.

Enjoy your college career, enjoy your classes, and enjoy the men and women that you will be associated with in the months ahead. It can and will be a great experience.

Best of wishes!

Mollie McDonald

Student Government Vice-President

Smyrna Campus

We Heard It Through The Grapevine That...

* The Student Government Association will be setting up a table in the STAH lobby for voter registration. Students may drop by between 1 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5 (Monday-Tuesday) to fill out a simple registration form.

* The Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club (SEAM) will be selling candy canes in the STAH lobby Monday-Friday to help raise funds for Angel Tree gifts.

* Motlow has received approval to offer an Associate of Fine Arts degree in music.

* The Rotaract Club is conducting a Baby Supplies Drive. Drop your donations in one of the boxes near the Student Lounge in the STAH lobby.

* SGA will offer free "grab and go" snacks during finals week. Drop by the STAH lobby at 11 a.m. Monday-Thursday until they are gone.

* Saint Nick was spotted on the Motlow Smyrna parking lot.

(Stacy Dowd, Ramona Shelton, and Jenna Caviezel contributed to this column.)

We Heard It Through the Grapevine...

 

                  Following the recent Freshman Election, our current Smyrna Student Government includes

                  * Vice President: Mollie McDonald

                  * Sophomore Senator: Cameron Droddy, Speaker of the House

                  * Sophomore Senator: Anood Ezzeir

                  * Freshman President: David Rangel

                  * Freshman Senator: Jennifer Garcia

                  * Freshman Senator: Tyde Kimble

                  * Freshman Senator: Morgan Pittenger

                  * Freshman Senator: Alex Peery

Mollie McDonald

***

                  Tennessee State Rep. Sam Whitson (Williamson County, 65th District) will visit Motlow State Community College on Oct. 30, 2017. Whitson will have lunch with members of the Student Government Association and students in Dr. Bill Kraus’ American Government Honors class. Following lunch, he will meet with other American Government students. 

Rep. Sam Whitson

  ***

 

                  Join the 'Great Shake Out' on Oct. 19 to raise awareness about Earthquake preparedness. Motlow Geology Professor Lisa Mayo has participated in this event with her students since 2009. “It is time to consider serious discussions about the Mississippi Embayment and the New Madrid Fault and what our regional response would look like if we had a large quake,” she said. To learn more about how to be prepared and what to do if an earthquake hits, visit www.shakeout.org/home.html. If you plan to participate on Oct. 19 either as an individual or with your class, please email Lisa Mayo at lmayo@mscc.edu 

(Professor Stacy Dowd provided information for this week's "Grapevine" column.)

We Heard It Through the Grapevine...

* Student Government freshman elections are underway. Voting starts Sept. 25 and continues through Sept. 29 (Monday-Friday). Voting takes place electronically through MyMotlow. Check the campus monitors and doors for voting instructions.

* The Smyrna campus has raised $625.20 for students of Houston Community College that were impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Collections will continue through the month of September. Please look for tables in the lobby or find an SGA advisor to give your donation to Stacy Dowd, Nicole Speelman or Bill Kraus. Anyone can donate… faculty, staff and students.

* Are you a registered voter? Look for Student Government in the STAH Lobby on Sept. 26 (National Voter Registration Day) to get registered.

* What the heck is QUEST? Come find out from 12-2 p.m. Sept. 28 (Thursday) in the STAH Lobby. Test your knowledge and win fun prizes!

* Biology Club is participating in National Public Lands Day. On Sept. 30 (Saturday), students and faculty will head to Stones River National Battlefield to help remove non-native invasive plants from an area of the park. This volunteer activity this will also count for four hours of Tennessee Promise Volunteer hours, not to mention look great on a resume. Please contact Mary Matthews at mmatthews@mscc.edu or Stacy Dowd at sdowd@mscc.edu for more information.

Send your “Grapevine” news to cwhiting@mscc.edu or rshelton@mscc.edu.

(Special thanks to Stacy Dowd for sharing these great opportunities.)

Student Clubs Offer Opportunities to Network, Create, Volunteer and Have Fun

                SMYRNA, Tenn. – Motlow Smyrna has a host of clubs to provide opportunities for students to network, create, volunteer and just have fun.

                Last week, students and faculty sponsors manned tables in the STAH lobby during the college’s Smyrna Club Days. If you didn’t attend, you can still get involved. Here’s a list of student clubs with contact information.

Senator Cameron Droddy welcomes student Jordan Donalson to the SGA table during Smyrna Club Days.

Student Government Association (SGA)

Faculty Sponsors: Stacy Dowd, Nicole Speelman, and Bill Kraus

sdowd@mscc.edu or 220-7865

nspeelman@mscc.edu or 220-7879

wkraus@mscc.edu

History Club

Faculty Sponsor: Ramona Shelton

rshelton@mscc.edu  or 220-7942

Student Nurse Association

Faculty Sponsor: Cathy Simpson

csimpson@mscc.edu or 220-7831

Phi Theta Kappa

Faculty Sponsor: Misty Griffith

mgriffith@mscc.edu or 931-668-2117

COR Club

Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Fitch

kfitch@mscc.edu  or 220-7824

Biology Club

Faculty Sponsor: Mary Matthews

mmatthews@mscc.edu  or 220-7883

Diversity Club

Faculty Sponsors: Andrea Green and Paige Hendrickson

agreen@mscc.edu or 220-7947 (Primary)

phendrickson@mscc.edu or 220-7815

Rotaract Club

Faculty Sponsors: Liala Syler, Paige Hendrickson and Terry Durham

lsyler@mscc.edu or 220-7867 (Primary)

phendrickson@mscc.edu or 220-7815

tdurham@mscc.edu or 220-7885

Mathematics Club

Faculty Sponsor: Brian Mitchell

bmitchell@mscc.edu  or 220-7825

Forming Now: Smyna Entertainment, Arts & Media Club

Faculty Sponsors: Charles Whiting and Debra Stockdale

cwhiting@mscc.edu or 220-7948 (Primary)

dstockdale@mscc.edu

(Paige Henderson provided the information for this article.)

History Club faculty sponsor Ramona Shelton shares a table with charter member Ashton Sisco.

Christian Cifuentes mans the Diversity Club table during Smyrna Club Days.

In the Motlow Spotlight: A Conversation With Mollie

            The Motlow Buzz is publishing spotlight interviews with students, faculty, administrators and staff members who are contributing to Motlow’s amazing success. This issue, we spotlight Mollie McDonald, Smyrna Vice President of the Student Government Association.

Question: Tell us a bit about you Mollie.

Answer: “My name is Mollie McDonald. I live in Murfreesboro and graduated from an online homeschool in 2016.”

Question: Why did you choose Motlow? What is your major, and what do you want to be when you grow up?

Answer: “I chose Motlow because it is growing quickly, which allows so much opportunity for the school and for the students. After Motlow, I'm going to transfer to Western Kentucky University for a bachelor’s degree in film, so eventually I can become a director.”

Question: What is your favorite thing about Motlow Smyrna?

Answer: “I enjoy how caring the professors here at Motlow Smyrna are.”

Question: Why did you join the SGA? What do you do as our Smyrna VP?

Answer: “I joined the Student Government Association to make Motlow Smyrna an even more fun and exciting place to be for the students. As the Smyrna VP, I am in charge of planning fun events for the students and giving the students what they ask for.”

Question: How can students get involved with SGA even if they aren’t an elected officer?

Answer: “Everyone who attends Motlow is already in the Student Government! All they have to do is give us their email and they'll be informed of all events and meetings.”

Question: What piece of advice would you give to a first-time incoming freshman? What do you wish you had known on your first day here?

Answer: “To incoming freshman I would say, make friends while you're here. Talk to people, get involved, and enjoy yourself. Lots of people think of this as just something they have to do to get to a bigger school. However, just because this isn't a typical university experience doesn't mean you can't have fun!”

Congratulations Mollie! Thank you for making a big difference on Motlow State’s Smyrna campus.

(This interview was conducted by Motlow Buzz Managing Editor Ramona Shelton.)

SGA to Offer Free Meals and Snacks for New and Returning Students

                SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Student Government Association will welcome new and returning students to the Motlow Smyrna campus with an edible gift – Free food!

                Students can visit the STAH Lobby at various times from Aug. 28 till Sept. 1 for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack items. They are also welcome to share their interests and concerns with SGA members during the organization’s regular weekly meetings at 9:30 a.m. on Fridays.

                Here’s a schedule for the free meals and snacks provided by the SGA during “Welcome Week”:

                * Aug. 28-29 (Monday-Tuesday) – The SGA will provide donuts for breakfast and pizza for lunch and dinner.

                * Aug. 30-31 (Wednesday-Thursday) – Students will enjoy surprise “Grab and Go” items for breakfast and hots dogs for lunch and dinner.

                * Sept. 1 (Friday) – Tables will be laden all day with snacks such as fresh fruit and muffins.

Motlow Student Government Election Brings New Changes

By Sydney Smith

Motlow Buzz Reporter

                SMYRNA, Tenn. – The new advisement team for the Motlow State Community College Student Government Association has big changes planned for the Smyrna campus following the 2017 SGA elections.  

                The 2017 SGA elections have started on the MSCC campuses. E-mails have been sent out, and students were encouraged to vote for their favorite candidates between April 18 and April 20. Applications are now closed, and new petitions are no longer being accepted as the winners are being chosen.

                The Smyrna campus has seven positions for students in the SGA: three seats for sophomore senator, three seats for freshman senator, and one seat for vice-president. Students Jacob Sharp, Virginia DaForno, and Mollie McDonald applied for vice-president. Justin Cardwell was the only candidate for senator.

                McDonald won the vice presidency, and Cardwell was voted senator. The two candidates who did not win for vice president will be offered senator positions instead.

                Along with the new candidates, the SGA has been undergoing new changes to the student advisement team. Previously, students were advised by Assistant Director of Student Services Gary Winton. However, Winton stepped down last fall. Beginning this year, students will now be under the collected advisement of Adjunct Professor of Social Science William Kraus, Instructor of Biology Stacy Dowd, and Instructor of Chemistry and Physical Science Nicole Speelman.

                The new advisement team is very passionate about the SGA and increasing its role on the Smyrna campus. One of the biggest changes to the SGA will be an increased number of meetings to help raise awareness for new students to get involved.

                Raising awareness for the SGA is one of the biggest obstacles for the new advisement team, and the advisors hope that the newly elected students will be able to bridge the gap between staff and students at the school. The new SGA team plans to increase communication between campuses as well, to better organize school events.

“We don’t want to be just the free food club.” Dowd said, “We want to push more of the behind-the-scenes aspect of it, having a way to be involved and shape the campus.”

                In addition to raised awareness, a special SGA leadership course has been planned to help students get even further involved in campus government, according to Kraus.  The course would focus on leadership skills in a local government setting and would encourage students to get more involved on their campus. Due to a tight course schedule for the upcoming fall semester, the course will likely be pushed back until the 2018 semesters.

                With all the changes planned, the new year promises to be exciting for both staff and students on the Smyrna campus. As the third building breaks ground this summer, SGA members will have plenty of decisions to make.

                Although applications for the current election are closed, Dowd stressed that it’s important for students to get involved on their campus. SGA meetings will be open for all students to attend, SGA official or not.

                Students interested in getting involved should keep an eye on their Motlow E-mail for news regarding SGA meetings. In addition, students can visit the MSCC website for more information at http://www.mscc.edu/sga/.  

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