Twenty student groups awarded $1,000 grants from the Office of the President and Provost for Community Day: 1/03

NEWS RELEASE

1/29/03

Kate Chesley, University Communications (650) 725-3697

Relevant Web URLs:
http://neighbors.stanford.edu

Twenty student groups awarded $1,000 grants from the Office of the President and Provost for Community Day

Twenty university student groups have been awarded $1,000 grants from the Office of the President and Provost to participate in Community Day at Stanford, an April 6 university open house for neighboring communities.

The 20 organizations, selected from more than 60 student-group applicants, will join an estimated 25 university departments in participating in Community Day. Last year, 13 student groups were awarded grants from among 40 applicants. The event is an all-day open house designed for families and featuring music, arts, sciences, athletic events, faculty lectures, a children's community carnival and a health fair.

"We were very impressed by the quality of the applications and the ingenuity of the ideas. We wish we could have given grants to all of the applicants," said Gordon Earle, university vice president for public affairs. "We looked for student organizations whose members had a sense of what would be of interest to the community and activities that would educate and entertain kids. The surveys we conducted last year indicated that visitors greatly appreciated the opportunity for their kids to interact with Stanford students."

Community Day was held for the first time last year, drawing about 6,500 people. This year's event, scheduled for April 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be centered around the university's Main Quadrangle at the end of Palm Drive. All events are free and open to the public. University officials hope the event promotes partnerships and increases understanding among Stanford and its neighbors, especially the residents of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Woodside, Mountain View and Portola Valley.

The 20 student groups awarded grants from the Office of the President and Provost are:

the American Red Cross of Stanford, which will offer "safety stations" to teach children what to do in case of fire, choking or other emergencies. The group participated last year, as well, and also offered a first-aid station for Community Day participants.
Artspan, which provides free visual arts education to underprivileged children. The group plans to sponsor a crafts activity called "Going BUGgy!" Children will have the opportunity to make foam bug magnets.
the Audio Engineering Society, which participated in last year's Community Day. The group will teach children about audio equipment and the science of sound.
Down with Gravity, a juggling group that plans to offer juggling workshops for families.
Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, which helped children last year create pinatas. The group plans to create "vasos," or traditional Mexican bowls.
Kuumba Dance Ensemble, which plans to educate Community Day visitors about dance traditions from the African diaspora.
Science and Environmental Education, which will show children how to make a model of a volcano erupt and will teach them about acids and bases by testing the pH levels of different household items.
the Society of Women Engineers, which participated last year, plans to help children better understand electricity, robotics and the density of objects.
the Stanford African Students Association, which also participated last year, will invite visitors to make African-inspired arts and crafts and will offer storytelling for children.
the Stanford Alpine Project, which will offer exhibits about the geology of California.
the Stanford Chemistry Club, which will offer a magic show consisting of about 10 demonstrations designed to educate and entertain.
the Stanford Community Farm, whose mission is to educate the Stanford community about organic gardening, will offer visitors the chance to plant seeds.
the Stanford Equestrian Team, which will help children learn about the care of horses.
the Stanford Men's Ultimate Team, which participated in Community Day last year, will introduce visitors to the sport of ultimate frisbee.
the Stanford Native American Graduate Students, which will offer games designed to educate the community about Native American history and culture.
the Stanford Orienteering Club, which will provide demonstrations of how to use maps and compasses to navigate from point to point.
the Stanford Solar Car Project, which will display its two-person, solar-powered car. The group competes in the American Solar Challenge and the World Solar Challenge in Australia.
the Stanford Square Dancers, which will offer workshops to promote American dance, including square, contra and line dancing.
the Taiwanese Cultural Society, which will offer exhibits to help educate the community about Taiwan and its culture.
the Thai American Intercultural Society, which will offer arts and crafts exhibits and Thai boxing and martial arts displays to promote understanding of Thai culture.

Among the university departments and organizations scheduled to participate in Community Day are the Haas Center for Public Service, including the Community Carnival; Stanford Athletics; the School of Education; the Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning; the Stanford Writing Center; Stanford Art Spaces; Gravity Probe B; Parking and Transportation; the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; Stanford Hospital and Clinics; Stanford Hospital Health Library; Women's Health @ Stanford; Lane Medical Library; Environmental Health and Safety; the Cantor Center for Visual Arts; Stanford Lively Arts; the Department of Music; the Student Organizing Committee for the Arts; the Center on Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies; the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center; Memorial Church; the Stanford Alumni Association; Stanford Events/Founders' Celebrations; and the Stanford Historical Society. "Discovering Dickens," the community reading project sponsored by Continuing Education, also will culminate on Community Day.

For more information, visit the Community Day web site at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/neighbors/communityday/, call (650) 724-2933 or e-mail community-day@lists.stanford.edu.

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