Campus Feature
UK FUSION 2008
UK FUSION (For Unity and Service in Our Neighborhood)‚ the annual one-day service event‚ was held on Monday‚ Aug. 25. Hundreds of volunteers met at Haggin Field on UK’s campus that morning and then disperse throughout Fayette County to help with volunteer projects throughout the area.
With the support of TIAA-CREF‚ Windstream Communications and several other organizations‚ FUSION provided UK students‚ faculty‚ and staff an opportunity to start off their school year in a helpful way by serving for three hours at a local nonprofit agency or area neighborhood residence. This year FUSION volunteers positively impacted the community by providing over 3‚900 hours of service in one day. Participants were divided into small groups of 10-20 and sent out to various project sites in the Lexington community. Participants served at project sites that involve physical labor‚ such as landscaping or painting‚ while other sites focused on promoting student interaction with residents‚ like talking with the elderly or serving a meal at a homeless shelter.
Since its inception in 2003‚ participation in FUSION has increased each year – from 461 participants in its first year to over 1‚300 participants in 2008 - making FUSION one of the greatest traditions at UK‚ as well as one of the largest volunteer events in the state of Kentucky.
The goals of FUSION are reaffirming the university’s commitment to unity and service at both the individual and institutional level‚ reinforcing the bond between the university and the Lexington community and building lasting friendships among new students‚ upper class students‚ faculty and staff.
ACF Chef Competition-UK Chefs Earn Bronze
The University of Massachusetts hosted a Team Competition sanctioned by ACF during the 14th Annual Chef Culinary Conference (CCC). The competition was classified as a Category F/3 Customized Market Basket Competition for teams of four. The competition was held on Friday June 20‚ 2008‚ at The University of Massachusetts -Amherst Campus Berkshire Dining Commons. The UK team began their competition that morning.
All of the fifteen participating teams were provided with the necessary equipment for the competition. Each team was required to prepare a three-course menu (a appetizer‚ entrée and dessert) for 4 servings and one buffet platter for 10 servings plus one plated serving for the judges. Of the 4 servings that were prepared‚ 2 were for the judges for tasting‚ one was for a photo/critique/press and one for the team. On Thursday afternoon after going over the rules and order of the teams‚ the teams were given the market basket containing a selection of materials. Within 40 minutes from receiving the basket‚ each competitor had to submit a menu to the competition proctor. No substitutions of items in the basket could be made. Each team then set up their speed racks. Each team was allowed three hours of cooking time and a 20 minute plating window. All participating teams were dressed in full professional chef's whites‚ including hat‚ apron‚ scarf; and kitchen towels during the competition‚ especially in consideration of the exposure to the trade and press that was on-site to cover the competition. The UK Team earned a Bronze medal!
President’s Commission on Diversity
University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr.‚ accompanied by Allan Richards‚ chair of the President’s Commission on Diversity‚ recently presented the sixth annual President’s Awards for Diversity in honor and appreciation of those who have demonstrated outstanding efforts toward advancing UK’s mission to embrace diversity while maintaining academic excellence. The awards went to one student‚ Nirmal Ravi; three faculty members‚ Joan Callahan‚ Karl Raitz and Christopher Schardl; one staff member‚ Marietta Watts; one administrator‚ Jay Perman; and one university unit‚ the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center.
The winner of the agency award for diversity is the UK Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center (MLKCC)‚ the premier place on campus for the promotion of diversity and inclusiveness. Since 1987‚ the mission of the center has been to help connect people by providing a space for interaction‚ fostering an understanding and appreciation of African-American and Latino peoples of America‚ while showing how diversity intersects‚ overlaps and complements the cultures of African‚ European‚ Asian/Pacific Islanders‚ Caribbean‚ and the indigenous peoples. The center provides cultural programming‚ student support and development‚ and community outreach‚ all designed to foster truth and integrity‚ creativity and resourcefulness‚ and‚ most importantly‚ respect and acceptance. The MLKCC has had a lasting impact on diversity at the University of Kentucky.
Student News
Matsubara Honored as Outstanding Officer
University of Kentucky political science and gender and women's studies graduate Susan Matsubara has received the Honorable George Rogers Clark Outstanding Young Officer Award for her performance as a military intelligence officer in the Kentucky National Guard.
Each year an individual who has demonstrated exceptional service as an outstanding officer is nominated for the award by their battalion. An Army officer is chosen by each battalion and each squadron is asked to nominate an Air National Guard officer. An individual from subordinate nominations is selected by each brigade and is designated as a first and second place winner. The nominations are submitted to the National Guard Association of Kentucky Awards Committee‚ which reviews the nominees and selects a winner. Two awards are presented annually; an Army award and an Air award.
The purpose of the award is to provide recognition for a junior grade officer who has excelled beyond normal performance of service and positively affected the future of his or her unit. Criteria for the award include the soldier's personal characteristics‚ individual achievements‚ unit awards, and improvement of ratings.
Matsubara is a member of the 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade and was nominated by Chief Warrant Officer Mark W. Grapin. Alongside her duties as an officer‚ she also serves as the assistant S2 for her brigade. Matsubara has endeavored to become the focal point in the Kentucky Army National Guard as an advocate for issues concerning women and minorities in an effort to place Kentucky at the front of a national effort to develop and implement such plans.
All Kentucky National Guard officers in the rank of Officer 1 through Officer 3 and Warrant Officers in the rank of Warrant Officer 1 and Chief Warrant Officer 2 are eligible providing the nominees have been in the Kentucky National Guard for at least two years. Matsubara has served in the Kentucky Army National Guard for 6.5 years.
Spotlight Student
division of student affairs . university of kentucky . 103 frazee hall . lexington‚ ky . 40506–0031 . (859) 257–1911 . fax (859) 323–1067