Saginaw Valley State University

Sixty Saginaw Valley State University students are continuing their predecessors' tradition of spending spring break week providing support and good will to in-need communities across the nation. SVSU's Alternative Breaks program organized six groups - with 10 students participating in each - that began traveling when spring break week kicked off Saturday, Feb. 29.

Saginaw Valley State University recently inducted several new members into its chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

A group of 10 Saginaw Valley State University Students traveled to Wise, Virginia to volunteer at a free health care clinic organized by The Health Wagon and Remote Area Medical nonprofit.

Since Saginaw Valley State University's moot court program was established in 2010, SVSU never has failed to qualify competitors for the nation's most elite tournament. Thanks to countless hours of preparation preparing for and rehearsing oral arguments, SVSU students have earned another impressive showing, and that streak will continue for a ninth consecutive year in 2019. SVSU students Lindsey Mead and Justin Weller will advance as a team to the American Moot Court Association national tournament Jan. 12-13 at Florida A&M College of Law in Orlando. Mead will make her second consecutive appearance in the annual contest, which features 120 of the nation's best undergraduate moot court competitors. Acting as teams of two attorneys, students competing in moot court tournament are tasked with arguing two hypothetical legal cases based on real-life courtroom battles. The competition is judged based on the clarity of the students' argument, their public speaking skills, their ability to answer questions, and how well they know the law and the case. The SVSU moot court program has excelled in those categories since their inception. Julie Keil, SVSU associate professor of political science, has served as the team's adviser for all nine years; today she is joined by Amy Hendrickson, SVSU associate professor of law. SVSU students have competed well over the years, and SVSU consistently has been ranked among the nation's elite programs. Its current ranking by the American Moot Court Association at No. 19 is its highest yet, ahead of larger institutions such as Texas A&M University (ranked no. 21) and University of Louisville (No. 23). Last year, SVSU ranked No. 24 out of the more than 425 higher education institutions that fielded teams for the American Moot Court Association. Mead, an English major from Saginaw, and Weller, a political science major from Bay City, earned their invitation to the 2019 national tournament based on the strength of their performance at a regional American Moot Court Association tournament hosted by SVSU in November. The pair advanced to the semifinal round, finishing third in a competition featuring 46 teams from 11 colleges and universities. Three other SVSU teams finished among the top 16 teams at the SVSU-hosted tournament. Those teams featured the duos of Justine Brabaw, a political science major from Breckenridge, and Erik Byron, a political science major from Birch Run; Joshua Cianek, a political science major from Auburn, and Lauren Legner, a psychology major from Bay City; and Ted Meckley, a political science major from Saginaw, and Porche Spiller, a sociology major from Saginaw.

For more than 50 Saginaw Valley State University students, spring break is not a typical vacation. They will be traveling across the U.S. to volunteer as part of the student-run Alternative Breaks program. Five teams of students are traveling to volunteer for community organizations throughout the country during SVSU's spring break March 5-11. The complete lineup of Alternative Breaks programs includes the following: *Champion Athletes of the Ozarks, located in Springfield, Missouri. The organization is designed to help children and adults with special needs. SVSU students are helping with daily activities. *Appalachian South Folklife Center, located in Pipestem, West Virginia. SVSU students are helping perform housing repairs along with other community service projects. *Arkansas Children's Hospital, located in Little Rock, Arkansas. SVSU students are assisting with daily activities needed throughout the hospital. *Kingdom House, located in St. Louis, Missouri. SVSU students are assisting in after-school programs where children eat healthy meals and focus on their academics. *Chesapeake Bay Foundation, located in Annapolis, Maryland. SVSU students are helping to keep the Chesapeake Bay clean and educate others about the importance of keeping such natural resources safe. SVSU's Alternative Breaks program sends students on community engagement-geared trips during both the traditional college winter and spring breaks each December and March. You can learn more at www.svsu.edu/officeofstudentlife/serve/.

Eight teams of Saginaw Valley State University students are spending a week of their winter break traveling to seven states in order to volunteer their time as part of SVSU's Alternative Breaks program.

A collaboration between Saginaw Valley State University and the Public Libraries of Saginaw will help individuals better understand and preserve their family histories through writing.

Saginaw Valley State University student Bailey Brown, a Spanish and criminal justice major from Fowlerville, received the National Association of College and University Residence Halls Student of the Month award for the month of October.

Based on the format of the popular TED talks, TEDx events are intended to be "a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances that are idea-focused, and cover a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder - and provoke conversations that matter."

There are 82 Saginaw Valley State University students participating in the institution's Alternative Breaks program, which is a student-led organization that sends its members across the U.S. to perform volunteer work during traditional school break periods.

Students this month participated in a service project through Saginaw Valley State University's Alternative Breaks program, which is a student-led organization that sends its members to various states and countries to do volunteer work during traditional school break periods.

Saginaw Valley State University will host a speaker series and technology showcase in the style of the TED Talks videos made popular on social media. TEDxSVSU is scheduled Saturday, Aug. 1, from 9 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. in SVSU's Rhea Miller Recital Hall.

Twenty Saginaw Valley State University students helped beautify several Bay City sites along the Saginaw River on Saturday, April 25.

Two Saginaw Valley State University students received the Michigan Campus Compact's Commitment to Service awards this year.

Sixty-six students will participate in Saginaw Valley State University's Alternative Breaks program, which is a student-led organization that sends its members to various states and countries to do volunteer work during traditional school break periods such as spring break.

A group of Saginaw Valley State University students will participate in the Alternative Breaks program, which sends students to volunteer across the globe during traditional school break periods such as the upcoming holiday recess.

On Aug. 5, 13 Saginaw Valley State University students -- part of the Cardinals In Action (CIA) program -- helped the Eastern Michigan Food Bank in Flint reach their goal by helping move and sort over 17,000 pounds of food.

This spring, 48 Saginaw Valley State University students will spend their spring break volunteering for organizations helping others.

This winter, 55 Saginaw Valley State University students will spend parts of their holiday break volunteering for organizations helping others. The initiatives are part of five opportunities being organized through SVSU's Alternative Breaks program, a student-led group that advocates volunteer work during traditional break periods from school.

As part of the university's Alternative Breaks program, the group will travel to the Disabled American Veterans building in Detroit from Thursday, Nov. 28 to Saturday, Nov. 30.

Incoming freshmen in Saginaw Valley State University's Living Leadership Program got an early start on their leadership development during a Kick Start Camp Thursday, Aug. 8.

Saginaw Valley State University students involved in the Cardinals In Action group earlier this month participated in a service project benefiting the Mid-Michigan Children's Museum in Saginaw.

A group of 10 Saginaw Valley State University students went on a week-long trip to Chicago to perform a volunteer service project with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, May 6-11, 2013.

A team of 11 Saginaw Valley State University students will devote a portion of their summer break to travel to Ometepe, Nicaragua, to assist with environmental restoration. The students will depart May 5, and return May 13, 2013. The team will plant trees as part of a long-term flash-flood mitigation project. The students will be planting various trees, especially those that are indigenous to the region such as Eucalyptus, Laurel Indio, and Acacia.

Saginaw Valley State University student Sarah Lewan has been selected to receive the Outstanding Community Impact Award from Michigan Campus Compact. Only six students from across the state received this prestigious award for service. A nursing major from Royal Oak, Lewan created an organization called Project Sunset during her freshman year to help raise money and awareness of malaria's effects in Africa.

Students from Saginaw Valley State University are spending their spring break lending a hand to those in need. A 10-student team from SVSU will travel to Morehead City, N.C., and work with the Carteret County Domestic Violence Program to help victims of domestic violence. The group departs Sunday, March 3, and return Saturday, March 9. The Carteret County Domestic Violence Program provides a mentoring program, a 24-hour crisis line and free shelter to victims of abuse.

A team of 11 Saginaw Valley State University students will devote a portion of their spring break to travel to Hinesville, Ga. to assist military families in need. The students will depart Sunday, March 3, and return Saturday, March 9.The students will be working with Operation Homefront Georgia, an organization that helps military families with bills, groceries, community events, home repair, and so much more. Students will be working with Operation Homefront staff to assist their efforts.

Students from Saginaw Valley State University are spending their spring break lending a hand to those in need. An 11-student team from SVSU will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to assist with easing the burden of homelessness. The students will depart Sunday, March 3, and return Saturday, March 9. The students will be working with the Medici Project to help soothe the hardship of homelessness.

Students from Saginaw Valley State University are spending their spring break lending a hand to those in need. A 12-student team from SVSU will travel to Newark, N.J. to assist education providers with getting information to at-risk youth. The students will depart Sunday, March 3, and return Sunday, March 9. The students will be working with United Way Newark, a program that provides youth knowledge and skills they need to succeed academically.

Local Saginaw Valley State University students are spending some of their 2012 winter break lending a hand in the spirit of giving. As part of a 12-student team from SVSU, these students will travel to Elizabethtown, Ky., working with the Hardin County Habitat for Humanity to help repair and build new homes for families in need. The group departs Sunday, Dec. 16, and arrives back home Saturday, Dec. 22. The students include