Riverbank Erosion and Transmission Corridor Project Delay Rivergreenway Trail Completion

Written by: Rachel Abraham, Kristine Lindal, Alexandria Rairigh

Fort Wayne, Ind.–A 1.2 mile stretch of the Rivergreenway neighboring IPFW cannot be completed until the city addresses riverbank erosion and Indiana Michigan Power finishes their transmission project

Riverbank erosion is an issue for the remaining trail between St Joe Center Road and East California Road, according to the most recent Rivergreenway project status report.

Dawn Ritchie, greenways manager for the city, said there are 400 linear feet of riverbank erosion on the 1.2 mile stretch of uncompleted trail. According to the report, the city must find a solution to the erosion before the trail can be completed.

“There’s nothing that has been done to shore up the riverbank or stop the erosion,” Ritchie said. “We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix this, and nobody has the money to do that, unfortunately.”

Robert Gillespie, university biology professor and an associate of the center, studies the degradation of aquatic communities. He participated in a sub-committee with city utilities that assessed a plan for possible impacts on areas of riverfront development.

Riverbank erosion is one such area, according to Gillespie. He said riverbank erosion will increase suspended solids, organic and inorganic materials that are suspended in water. This can be a problem for almost any aquatic organism because suspended solids get stuck in their gills and can cause suffocation, according to Gillespie. Gillespie said there are many places where erosion is a problem in the Fort Wayne area.

Indiana Michigan Power is currently working on a section of their Powering Up Northeast Indiana transmission project in the same area, according to Tracy Warner, principal communications consultant at the power company. The project is geared towards upgrading and enhancing the system and reliability, Warner said, because some of the equipment dates back to the 1940s.

The trail cannot be completed until the power company finalizes that part of the project, according to Ritchie.

The power company plans to begin construction on their transmission project next year. The project will take two years to complete. Warner said the company does not expect any issues from the erosion.

According to Warner, the power company strives to be a good neighbor to the greenway and the university and will continue to discuss the issue as the project progresses. “We’re looking forward to building this section,” he said.

Bruce Kingsbury, director of the university’s Environmental Resources Center, was involved in a committee for the vision of the riverfront downtown. According to Kingsbury, “Part of that vision includes the concept of environmental stewardship.”

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IPFW Improves Campus Community Initiatives with Community Student Portal

IPFW now has a completely web-based software hosted by Symplicity called Community that allows students to manage all aspects of their groups, clubs and organizations. The Office of Student Life and Leadership implemented the software system in August as a way to give students the ability to easily manage their co-curricular activities.

The Office of Student Life and Leadership worked with Symplicity to implement Community in an attempt to streamline the paper-based process that was used in the past for managing student groups.

“The filing system we used before we had Community was a pen and paper process,” Kasey Price, assistant vice chancellor for student life and leadership, said.

According to Price, this pen and paper process was inconvenient for both staff and self-registering students. Before Community was implemented, students interested in starting a campus organization had to print off the application online, fill it out and return that application to the Office of Student Life and Leadership. The office then stored each student organization application in a paper file. If the student wanted to make changes to that application they had to come back into the office and pull their file to make those changes.

“Community now allows us to digitize those records so that the students can easily manage groups, rosters and activities from within the system,” Price said.

Community also gives students within an organization the ability to find out about events on campus, keep track of event attendance and communicate with other members within the organization.

“Community is really beneficial to the members of the Active Minds group because it helps us plan out our events and lets us grow our member base a lot more than recruiting in person,” Manal Saeed, president of active minds, said in an email. “It also lets our current members know what we’re planning in advance, so they can plan to be there.”

Transitioning to Community also makes it easier for students to generate and manage their co-curricular transcripts. A co-curricular transcript is a university document that complements a student’s official academic transcript. Community offers a co-curricular transcript tool that allows students to document all of their student organization participation, membership, study-abroad experiences, honors, awards, scholarships and any other campus-based services students are involved in and have achieved throughout their time at IPFW.

In addition to being able to easily manage a student organization and co-curricular transcript, Community also offers a feature to help the campus move forward in some of the other campus community initiatives by sending out the student newsletter known as “True Blue.” According to Alex Wulpi, communications assistant in the office of the chancellor, the chancellor’s office decided to use Community as a platform to send out the student newsletter because it offers message tracking capabilities.

“The message tracking capability lets us know the percentage of the recipients who opened the newsletter,” Wulpi said. “This comes in handy because this information helps guide our decisions about what content to include and whether to adjust the design or layout to increase reader satisfaction.”

Community also adds more well-crafted content to the True Blue newsletter as opposed to sending it out by email through the student LISTSERV. “We didn’t like sending the newsletter out through the student LISTSERV because it was just a wall of text and links.” Wulpi said. “Community allows us to add basic HTML markup and pictures to make it more interesting and aesthetically pleasing.”

All students can login to Community by visiting www.ipfw.edu/my-community and use their current IPFW student username and password to access their personal profiles. Once students are logged on, they can create an event request, co-curricular transcript and find out about other student organizational events happening on campus.

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Plans for 100th Indy 500 Already Underway

Changes are already underway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and speedway president held a town hall-style meeting and a Q&A session with racing fans and media in Fort Wayne to talk about those changes.

Kelley Chevrolet dealership hosted the meeting and president Tom Kelley spoke to the importance of the speedway to Hoosiers.

“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is iconic, it’s a phenomenal asset to those of us that live in the Midwest,” Kelley said to the media.

The changes that are being made to IMS, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are in preparation for the 100th Indianapolis 500. The plan is called Project 100.

According the imsproject100.com, there are a multitude of areas at the speedway that are being improved “including seating, technology, gates and entryways, concession and restroom upgrades and new hospitality options.”

Over 50 race fans showed up to hear Boles talk about the improvements to racetrack and how the track looks currently.

“It’s a completely different place right now, we have taken the entire roof structure off the front stretch (grandstands),” Boles said to the media, “They have actually started putting steel up on the north end.”

Boles said in the spring, they plan on working on the gate one part of the project. Gate one is the “front door” to the speedway according to imsproject100.com.

Plenty of fans that showed up to the meeting expressed their concern for the problem of long lines at gate one in the past few years.

“Part of it, is us working with law enforcement to make sure people know other routes and the real hard part of it is 300,000 people trying to get in the facility,” Boles said.

Boles also alluded to the recent attacks of terrorism in this country and around the world that has led them to be more cautious with security because of the amounts of people that show up on race day.

There are no events scheduled at the speedway until the May 12, 2016 so fans should not be affected by any of the ongoing construction. The construction is now in its third phase according to imsproject100.com.

The first phase of Project 100 began in 2014 and each phase has been done in between each “500” race.

Phase three of the project includes more seating is being added to the already 300,000 plus seats. Boles said they are adding three more rows of seats to the grandstand and having Wi-Fi put in.

Rick Fletcher who has been going to the “500” for 30 years was against the changes the speedway has made in the past but has changed his tone in recent years.

“The first year I was in those fan club suites I thought you know what, this is pretty cool,” Fletcher said.

The 100th running of the Indianapolis is set for Memorial Day weekend, May 29, 2016.

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How To: Painting to Feel Like Home

As fall semester comes to an end, some students are starting to feel like they are at home here in Fort Wayne, Ind. Students, who have moved out from their parents’ home, are finally starting to feel adjusted in their new apartment or house. Some students have taken it among themselves to paint the interior of their home, but how does someone go about painting their home? Painting the interior of a home can be difficult and there are a few steps that new homeowners need to go by to achieve a well done painted room.

Kierstan Yates, an IPFW student who recently painted her living room in her new home, said painting can be a bigger task than what most people think.

“Painting can be hard and time consuming,” Yates said. “If you go about it wrong, as in not having the right tools or knowing a lot about paint, it can make life a lot harder for yourself.”

Painting a room can be a hassle for anyone. Students, or any new homeowners, need to go about painting in the right steps. The first step to begin painting a room is choosing the right paint for a room.

Kory Mettler, a store manager of Sherwin Williams in Logansport, Ind., said choosing the right paint can be difficult.

“Latex is the most common nowadays,” Mettler said. “High traffic areas like living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms you would want paint with a better shine.”

Mettler said other ideas to be considered would be choosing a light color because it gives that shine that you want for an active room setting.

With the type of paint chosen, now it is time to go to the next step. The next step is to get the room ready. Before moving on to this step, all the tools and supplies for painting and preparing a room need to be gathered.

Steve Knothe, an employee at Umbers Ace Hardware in Fort Wayne, said all the tools needed for both painting and preparing can be purchased at Umbers Ace Hardware.

“We have it all. Brushes, rollers, masking tape, pans and so on,” Knothe said. “We even have paint here at our store. We have everything.”

After purchasing the supplies, masking tape needs to be placed as a barrier between what needs to be painted and what needs to be protected.

Masking tape allows you to paint walls without getting paint on other things within the room, which includes the ceiling, window trim and basically anything that should not have paint on it.

Make sure to put down a drop cloth. A drop cloth protects the floor from getting drips of paint on it and spills. When putting a drop cloth down make sure all furniture is moved toward the center of the room and away from the perimeter.

Now it is time to start painting.

A good way to start is by using a trim brush near the areas where there is masking tape. This allows for small areas to get the right amount of paint for detail, such as corners for example. The trim brush allows for a crisp line due to its slanted edge. When painting the edges, dip the brush in the paint about half way. This allows for a minimal amount of paint to soak into the bristles and for an easier and cleaner way of painting.

When painting along the masking tape, be sure to paint parallel with it. This gives the ability to keep the paint looking nice along the trim.

Once painting along the masking tape is completed, it is time to fill in the rest of the wall. Use the roller. Using a roller is best because this allows you to cover larger sections.

Pour some paint into a pan. This can gives the ability to soak the whole roller up with enough paint. Paint in a zig zag form until the wall begins to fill with paint.

Finally, after applying the paint to the wall, there is only one step left. This step is deciding whether or not a second coat of paint is necessary.

“I would say if you are asking yourself if it needs another coat or not, go ahead and do it,” Mettler said. “Generally you will see spots where the paint did not cover it all the way.”

Painting a room is a way to make a house feel more like a home. Visit, http://www.bhg.com/decorating/paint/room/painting-step-by-step/, for a pictured manual of the steps of painting a room explained above. Though painting can be troublesome, following the rights steps can lead to a successful and well-painted room.

 

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New Program for Future Professional Women Planned at IPFW

Some women believe that dressing for an interview or for work every day in a professional environment involves skirts and high heels but one Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne graduate student is proposing a program to help change that stigma.

Abigail Schnelker, a graduate assistant in the IPFW Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, is proposing a program that will help prepare women to present themselves in a manner consistent with a professional setting.

“TV gives a very convoluted idea of what women are expected to wear to work and how they are expected to conduct themselves. Sex sells on TV but it comes off as unprofessional in the work place,” Schnelker said.

The program would incorporate human resource professionals to help give female students an idea of how to dress in the business world after obtaining their degree from IPFW.

Schnelker said she also plans to reach out to local hairdressers and cosmetics experts to attend the event. These representatives would then have a chance to give attendees tips and pointers on how to do their makeup and hair in a professional manner.

Chelsea Beyers, an IPFW graduate, is a human resource specialist and said she thinks this type of program is a great idea for women looking to work in a business-type environment.

“Appearance can make or break an interview for someone, knowing what to do and what not to do is very important and this type workshop could help do that for these women,” Beyers said.

Beyers also said she agreed that stereotypes set forth in the media can come off as unprofessional.

“High heels are not needed in an interview when dress pants along with a nice blouse or blazer will do the job,” she said.

Sloane Odle is a senior at IPFW and says this type of program would be something that could potentially be very helpful.

“I have never really had a true interview in a business-like environment so I am really not sure what interviewing or working in a business environment every day is like,” Odle said.

On top of how to appear professional, Schnelker said she also plans to reach out to local businesses that sell second hand professional clothing.

“Most college students do not have very deep pockets, if the university could work with some of these businesses to get discounted rates for students it could be a big help for a lot of women,” Schnelker said.

The program proposal will be submitted to Ken Christmon, the associate vice chancellor of diversity and multicultural affairs, by the end of the current semester. If the program is approved Schnelker said she plans to hold the event in March in conjunction with Women’s History Month before seniors graduate in May.

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Student Organizations Find Outside Funding Beneficial When Requesting Funds from Student Government

Written by: Rachel Abraham, Alexandria Rairigh, Jeran Lantz-Robbins, Charlotte Stefanski, Emily Yager

African Student Association received $55 more than requested from the IPFW Student Senate, but according to James Hoppes, the legislative committee chair, the senate encourages organizations to get outside funding.

Eseosa Igbinijesu, African student association treasurer, and Emmanuel Okendu, African student association vice president, requested $245 to fund “A Taste of Africa,” an event which will showcase foods from Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, and the Republic of Congo.

During the senate meeting, Bradley Crowe, the ways and means chair, asked if the amount was enough to fund an event expecting 50 to 100 attendees.

Student senator Logan Torres moved to amend the bill to $300, which student senator Kate Keil said she found frustrating. “We’re not there to amend things to give more money to people that haven’t requested more,” Keil said.

But Keil said she revised her position on the amended bill because it helped the association.

The senate passed the bill and amendment to increase the amount to $300, unanimously.

Student senator Andrew Kreager said while it’s not common for the senate to give organizations more money than they request, he does agree with the senate’s decision.

“If we think something needs to be more funded so that it is a successful event, we should do that,” Kreager said. “That is our part as senators representing the student body to make sure that things are successful.”

Igbinijesu said their organization would not have been able to hold the event without receiving funds from the senate.

“We’re really new so we tried to collect membership fees, but it would not have covered this at all,” she said.

According to Hoppes, student organizations are encouraged to seek funding from outside sources other than just student government.

“We don’t have enough money to fund everybody,” Hoppes said.

Hoppes said the senate would like to fully fund students, but they also want to spread the money out.

Mitchell Olney, president of the rugby club, said he received funding from businesses before going in front of the student senate. He said this helped the rugby club’s case.

“They liked that we were self-sufficient and that we could generate our own funds,” Olney said, “and that we weren’t just coming to them and asking for charity.”

Anthropology club treasurer, Mike Plasterer, said his organization had already raised $150 through donations when he presented to the senate. “I think that definitely gave us brownie points from them,” Plasterer said.

According to Kelsie Gillig, president of the anthropology club, the process of requesting funds from the senate was fairly straightforward.

“Everyone has the same process to go through,” Plasterer said. “Everyone has the same opportunity to get the funds.”

“If there’s a group of students who wants to have a pogo stick competition on campus, it’s not my job to judge whether or not I would do pogo-sticking,” Crowe said. “It’s something they want to do. Therefore, we should be able to help them in that endeavor.”

Kreager said he hopes “A Taste of Africa” gets 100 attendees and the organization is able to engage students in what they are eating and gain an insight into African culture.

“A Taste of Africa” will be held Dec. 2 at noon in the Walb International Ballroom.

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IPFW Career Services Offers Job Interview Preparation Tips

Photo Credit: Kathleen Le

After graduating college, the newest challenge to take on is getting interviews and obtaining a job. Students at IPFW have sources on campus that are more personal than surfing the web. Career Services provides a number of outlets and services that are accessible to both students and alumni.

Once an interview has been set up with a company the first thing that should be done is research of company, according to Kayla Klimasko, a career counselor at IPFW Career Services.

“One of the big things that I think students especially need to work on is the research that they need to do on the company before going to the interview,” Klimasko said. “A lot of companies are going to ask you specific questions about why you want to work for that company or why you are interested in that specific position.”

By researching the company, you can find out what the company is looking for and if you would be a good fit, as well as if you would like to work there. It is important to look into the company’s values, expectations and the qualifications and duties that are required, Klimasko said. This way you will be able to be sure that your answers are relevant to the position, Klimasko said.

In addition to researching the company, you should also come up with some questions of your own to ask your interviewer. Klimasko recommends trying to tailor your questions to the company and position by using the research you have done on the company.

Another suggestion Kilmasko has is to do a practice interview with someone, which is a service that IPFW Career Services provides. Mock interviews are a good way to prepare and calm your nerves before an interview since it is in a nonjudgmental environment, Klimasko said.

“We are able to tailor the questions to a specific major or a specific position if we know ahead of time what it is that you are going to interview for.” Klimasko said.

Another reason for doing a mock interview is to monitor body language and personality. It is beneficial to have another person to tell you if you are fidgeting too much, slouching or answering the questions in a manner that doesn’t come across as genuine because of nervousness, Klimasko said.

“I think a big thing to remember is your personality is something that they are judging,” Klimasko said. “I think a lot of people get wrapped up in making sure they’re answering the questions properly, but they’re not always authentic in that answer.”

The last thing to consider before going to an interview is what you should bring with you to the interview and what to wear.

“In the career services basically I just did like a mock type of interview,” Brett Gauger, an IPFW student, said. “I dressed up, and I brought my résumé and a cover letter for the job interview that I took.”

“They do everything, just like it would be like [in] a regular interview,” Gauger said.

Career Services can check over résumés, Gauger said. They also give advice for how to dress for your interview.

Kilmasko said, “There’s a saying you may have heard of, dress for the job you want, not the job you have and its kind of cliché, but it is true. It is better to be over prepared in any situation than underprepared.”

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The Truth is Told of the Many Misconceptions of Gluten

Photo credit: Cody Neuenschwander

It has been roughly seven years since Jessica Grote heard the words “you need to go on a gluten-free diet.”

Grote, a senior a Concordia Lutheran High School, said her diagnosis was a difficult process. She said she had not been feeling great for a while and her doctor could not figure out why.

She was then instructed, by her doctor, to go on an “intense gluten diet.” Grote said this diet consisted of food with high wheat content. She ate foods like whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat noodles – if it had wheat – she ate it, she said.

During this diet, Grote said she experienced some of the most severe symptoms she had ever had.

At the peak of these symptoms, her doctor administered a blood test and then instructed her to go off gluten completely.

A few weeks after the intense diet, Grote’s symptoms subsided and she felt better than she ever had before.

Grote’s blood test came back showing results that showed gluten intolerances and was then diagnosed with gluten intolerance.

Grote was diagnosed in the fifth grade and has not consumed gluten since.

Issues regarding gluten and its affect on the body have been in the “hot seat” for a while, but there are many misconceptions regarding these issues.

What even is gluten? According to livescience.com, gluten is composed of two different proteins: gliadin and glutenin. These proteins are found in the wheat endosperm, a tissue produced in seeds that are ground out to make flour.

Sara Mathes, RDN, said there are two main categories to gluten issues: gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease, and gluten sensitivity. She said one of the main misconceptions of people is that there is not a difference between gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity.

The main difference between the two categories, gluten intolerance (celiac disease) and gluten sensitivity, is that those affected by celiac disease have a set of antibodies in their blood along with extreme intestinal damage.

In 2012, a group of researchers in Norway developed this standard that separates the two terms and defines each.

According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease.

The NFCA defines celiac disease as a genetic autoimmune disease. It affects the villi of the small intestine and prevents the proper absorption of nutrients.

According to the NFCA, 18 million Americans have gluten sensitivity.

The NFCA defines non-celiac gluten sensitivity as an innate immune response, much like an allergic reaction.

Mathes said another common misconception by people is that gluten is only found in wheat.

“Remember the acronym, B.R.O.W.,” Mathes said. “Barley, rye, oats, and wheat.”

Mathes said oats do not originally contain gluten, but many factories that produce oats have cross contamination with gluten products. Mathes said cross contamination is a huge problem for the individuals with celiac disease.

She said B.R.O.W. helps people with both celiac disease and gluten sensitivity because it is easy to remember. Upon being diagnosed with either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, Mathes said she hands her patient a huge binder. Inside the binder is a detailed list of everything inedible for the affected patient.

“Instead of memorizing the specifics, B.R.O.W. makes it easy for people to be able to read ingredients and feel confident on whether or not they should consume a product,” Mathes said.

Mathes said the symptoms of both celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are quite similar. The symptoms include, but are not limited to, the following: bloating, gas, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation and joint pain.

She said most gluten sensitive individuals will notice peaks and pits of their symptoms, while those affected by celiac disease are in constant struggle with symptoms.

Mathes said there is a huge issue with cross contamination with gluten-free products and gluten products.

“Some people are so intolerant they cannot use the same toaster a person had once placed gluten-rich bread in,” Mathes said.

There are also many day-to-day products that contain gluten- it is not just food items.

“I am not going to be concerned with my toothpaste, my deodorant or my hairspray… I’m just not,” Deb Fulton, a sufferer of gluten sensitivity, said. “You have to draw the line somewhere.”

Fulton was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity five ago. She said she experienced issues with digestion but also a huge part of her symptoms dealt with her fatigue and joint pain.

She said she just did not feel well and was sick of not feeling well so she went to a doctor to figure out why.

When she was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity she said she started cutting gluten out, but knew it would be near impossible to go without it completely.

“If I am putting in 90% effort in cutting out gluten products then I think I am doing just fine,” Fulton said. “But, sometimes I find myself asking if the pizza really worth it.”

According to the NFCA, if a person feels like they may be experiencing issues with gluten the NFCA suggests seeing a doctor and not self-diagnosing. They said receiving professional help is the quickest way to start feeling better.

“Though I miss the fluffiness of breads and pastries, I would not change my new restricted diet for anything,” Grote said. “I feel better than ever!”

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ISPGA to Host Food Drive on Campus

The Public Relations Committee for IPSGA Student Senate is kicking off their first food drive this year with the “Winter Giving Tree.”

The “Winter Giving Tree” will be held Nov. 30 through Dec. 23 at IPFW. All students are encouraged to donate canned items and non-perishable goods.

A goal of the food drive is to obtain around 200-300 pounds of food to donate to Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana.

“Since it’s the first year we are doing it, I really didn’t want to set the bar too high to see how things went, but hopefully in years to come we’ll continue to grow,” said Jessica Shoaff, Public Relations Committee Chair for IPSGA Student Senate.

When planning the food drive, the committee did not have a place in mind of where they wanted the donated items to go. IPFW has been affiliated with Community Harvest Food Bank in the past and getting in touch with the food bank was easy for Shoaff and the committee.

Community Harvest Food Bank recently was affiliated with “U Can Crush Hunger” food drive that had five colleges in northeast Indiana, IPFW, Saint Francis, Indiana Tech, Ivy Tech Community College Northeast and Huntington University in competition with one another to raise 100,000 pounds of food. IPSGA’s food drive will be held only on the campus of IPFW.

Another one of the goals of the food drive is to show off a side of the IPSGA that they are not known for.

“I know we are pretty business-like and rather than funding the clubs and organizations, I thought we’d show a different side of student senate,” said Shoaff.

In her first year as chair, Shoaff gave the committee a list of ideas to consider but the “Winter Giving Tree” was not on the list. After brainstorming during committee meetings they decided on a food drive.

The unique name of the “Winter Giving Tree” gave the committee an idea on how to advertise the food drive.

“I just got the funding from senate for the two-foot tall (Christmas) trees that will be placed around campus,” Shoaff said.

Along with the trees will be posters put up around campus that describe the food drive and where to donate.

The main tree of the food drive will be located outside the IPSGA office, Walb 225, to put the donated items.

Students who donate to the giving tree can swipe their student ID in the IPSGA office to be entered to win a free IPFW fleece. The number of fleece jackets that will be given away has not yet been determined according to Shoaff and the committee.

If the drive is successful, ISPGA plans to make this an annual food drive.

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IPFW Hosts 2015 Diversity Showcase

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne hosted its annual Diversity Showcase on Wednesday Nov. 4 in the universities’ Walb Union International Ballroom.

The event, which has been hosted by the university for over a decade, is meant to showcase the unique cultures and identities that can be found on the Fort Wayne campus.

“A lot of people think they know what diversity is, but this type of event gives a chance for students and the community to come out and see what this university really has to offer, there is something for everyone,” said the Kenneth Christmon, who is the associate vice chancellor for diversity and multicultural affairs at IPFW.

Christmon said that this year’s event was the largest of its kind with over 50 vendors that included departments from within the university as well as various student organizations.

Some of the vendors from the university included departments such as the College of Health and Human Services, the IPFW athletic department and the Office of Military Student Services.

Some of the student organizations involved with the event included the Black Collegian Caucus and Hispanos Unidos.

Gladys Calderon, a student at IPFW and a member of Hispanos Unidos, said the Diversity Showcase and other similar events do a great job to raise awareness for not only the organization she is involved with, but all of the other campus organizations as well.

“We do a lot on campus and even more within the community and just getting the word out really helps us out” said Calderon. Calderon said that on top of taking trips to Spanish speaking countries such as Peru, the group also volunteers within the local community.

One of the volunteer services Hispanos Unidos provides is interpreting for non-English speakers at local health clinics. Calderon says members of the group also help interpret during parent-teacher conferences for Fort Wayne Community Schools each year.

“It may not always seem like much but for a lot of families, it is,” said Calderon. “We are glad we can make an impact and this event helps make it possible to make more of an impact.”

Free food was also made available to students and community members that took part in the event. Visitors used a form that required them to visit multiple stations before they could take advantage of the food court. Food was catered by Los Portales, Panda Express, Zianos and Fort Wayne Coney Island.

Este Stoffel, a senior on the IPFW volleyball team, volunteered to serve food for the event. “I think the event is working the way it is supposed to,” said Stoffel. “I have seen a lot of new faces coming through the line and that’s what this event is meant to do, raise awareness.”

School officials said they plan to continue the event for many years to come.

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