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HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM I have started by own student organization at UC. Rotaract is a professional networking and community service-based organization that will inspire UC students to have a heart for service and drive to develop close relationships with possible future employers. Basic Information ull !ame" #atie von$rden UC $mail" vonerdkg%mail.uc.edu College" &indner College of 'usiness (a)or" *perations (anagement (inor" +ales and International 'usiness ,itle of -ro)ect" UC Rotaract ,hematic .rea /choose only one0" Community $ngagement $1pected -ro)ect +tart 2ate" 11314315 $1pected -ro)ect $nd 2ate" !ever Project Information 1. -rovide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors e1periential learning pro)ect. I am currently in the process of creating UC Rotaract. I have been meeting with Rotary members6 re7uesting different speakers and registering Rotaract officially with +.&2. ,o get a lot of members6 I created a acebook page and I have spread the word a lot by mouth. ,he organization will participate in two service pro)ects3events a month6 attend a Rotary meeting once month and meet every other ,hursday. 8e9ll also bring in speakers to inspire our members6 teach them how to be a professional and network them with local professionals. un and social activities6 of course6 too6 will also be incorporated into the agenda. It9s important to keep Rotaract members engaged and proud to be a part of such a well-known and respected organization. -ersonally6 I have met so many wonderful UC students this year and I know that so many have such potential to be active citizens who love to help out those in need within the Cincinnati community. I also recognize the leadership capabilities of many of our new members. Rotaract will provide them the opportunity to take on a leadership role by possibly serving as .dministrative .ssistant6 :ead ;olunteer Coordinator and +ocial .ctivities Chair. I have an ardent passion for helping provide others with opportunities to be a leader. I believe that everyone has the potential to stretch their comfort zone and grow in confidence. +ervant leadership is a step above leadership. It9d be a wonderful opportunity to be a servant leader. I want to put others above myself and e7uip them with a position to be proud of. .ll the while6 I9ll be e1posing all Rotaract members to those who have less in our community. Relationships are built in a special way when time is spent addressing others9 needs. I want to provide fellow 'earcats with the chances to see the needs of our surrounding community and find their own passion for making a substantial and sustainable difference. C ear ! an" t#oro$%# ! a""ress #o& eac# of t#e fo o&in% e ements &i 'e e(#i'ite" in !o$r &or)* <. Connection to &earning *utcomes within the :onors ,hematic .rea /identified above0 -Possesses awareness of purpose of service, including need for reciprocity, understanding of social issues, and ability to see those issues from multiple perspectives. ,wice a month6 Rotaract will serve either at Ronald (c2onald house by serving dinner and reading to the children there or by working at +t. =oseph9s *rphanage. ,hese two places will be the focus for the +pring +emester because Rotary focuses a lot on helping empower those youth who9ve been deprived of academic support3opportunity. .t the Ronald (c2onald :ouse6 it9ll be a good eye-opening e1perience to see how strong those children are despite the terminal illnesses they are fighting. 2irectly engaging with such inspiring children will allow UC students to develop close relationships and mutually benefit. :opefully6 the connection with the children will continue for years to come. -erhaps a pen pal relationship could be created. ,he second place that I hope to see Rotaract working with is +t. =oseph9s *rphanage. ,he orphanage has a beautiful mission to educate and provide companionship to those children who have been neglected due to divorce6 lack of finances and death of family members. I9d love to organize a monthly social with the children and do crafts6 tutor or even host a tea party. In actively communicating and dealing with the children6 I9ll be able to better understand how they think and handle living in an orphanage. Reflection after each service e1perience will challenge myself and Rotaract members to realize the social issues witnessed and see those issues from different perspectives. - Relates, communicates, and works effectively with others towards sustainable social change. .long with the >? members in Rotaract6 I will work to develop a strong6 committed social change in the area of youth education. It9ll be a challenge because

< with that many members6 different members may want to work with different social challenges. .ppeasing everyone9s passions won9t be possible6 however. 8e will all need to communicate honestly and thoroughly during biweekly meetings. . specific < or 5 organizations should be served by the organization because6 like with anything6 being overcommitted to a lot of community service organizations will make things scattered and confusing. 8hen trying to sustain something6 consistency must be kept and there has to be a well-defined mission. Rotaract is all about fellowship and presenting oneself as professional and service-focused. I want for my organization to represent UC as a whole well. I want the whole Cincinnati area to recognize UC students as people dedicated to making a lasting improvement upon an important6 struggling social issue. irst and foremost6 I will ensure that the very first meeting makes clear the social issues that will be addressed and fi1ed by the organization. $veryone needs to be on board unless communication will fail and no effective work will get done. I9ve seen it time and again what happens when a couple group members don9t share the same passion with the rest of the group. ,hings readily fall apart. - Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of community . .s previously stated6 Rotaract will work with community service organizations that are located within a ? mile radius of the UC campus. In addition6 the organization will invite once a month a speaker from Rotary to speak on social issues6 networking6 professionalism and other inspirational topics. +omeone9s role in a community can be difficult to figure out without the proper inspiration from an e1perienced figure. 8e all can use direction and advice to build off of. I9ll encourage Rotaract members to bring notebooks and take notes during talks. I9ll want to keep my members interested in helping the community and have a say in who we help and what kind of service we do as an organization.

5. Connection to @oals and .cademic ,heories /include reference list6 as appropriate0 .. ,his pro)ect contributes to my academic6 professional and personal goals. (y first academic goal is to maintain a 5.A @-. while balancing the responsibility of being -resident of an organization. It will certainly be tough because I recognize my BtalentC for procrastination and denial of the intensity of my work load. +o far6 I9m keeping a 5.A @-. while dedicating a little over 14 hours a week to the Rotaract club. (y ability to time manage and perform work in an efficient and diligent manner has been further improved. -rofessionally6 I9ve developed close relationships with D e1perienced Rotarians who have all held high-power positions within Rotary. I9ve learned the importance of presenting myself confidently6 listening well and accepting wise advice and following through with commitments. I9ve had to remind myself that they are sacrificing their time despite their schedules which are monumentally busier than mine. *ut of respect and genuine thoughtfulness6 I am 7uick to reply to their emails6 I consistently provide organization updates and I am currently working closely with them to develop a mentorship program. +ince I am *perations (anagement with a minor in sales /)ust recently added this ma)or06 developing such a program will give me good hands-on6 direct e1perience with operating a pro)ect. I9ll learn team building skills and how to best delegate responsibilities appropriately. In the business world6 being able to understand others9 personalities6 strengths and weaknesses is crucial. ,o get things done in the 7uickest and more reliable way will be my main goal. Running Rotaract will challenge me to run meetings smoothly and communicate activities such as service pro)ects well. -ersonally6 I hope I grow more passionate for service hours. :onestly6 I get caught up in )ust doing service to Bget the hoursC for Cincinnatus. ,his is an awfully superficial and meaningless purpose for doing service. +econdly6 I want to be better at following all the way through with leadership commitments. I tend to pack on a lot of duties but I don9t recognize when enough is enough. &astly6 I want to rely more on others. I let pride get the best of me more often that I9d like. I get caught up easily in taking command6 talking for others and I forget to pause and ask another to provide input. '. ,he first specific theory that I will use to prepare and gain background knowledge for my pro)ect is 'ass and Colleagues9 leadership theory on delegative leadership. .fter reading the article on the :onors website6 I realized that my leadership style perfectly fits this type. I tend to balance my handson control with hands-off sort of leadership. #nowing this about myself will allow me to recognize what to watch out for as negatives of this leadership style. *n the other hand6 it9ll allow me to bring out the best of my leadership style. 8ithout a doubt I will continue to consult the article and most definitely read up on the other leadership styles. I want to pull out the benefits of other styles. +econdly6 I will use the readings on rotary.org in order to educate myself on current Rotary community service pro)ects and leadership conferences. ,he website is a very rich source of background knowledge on other Rotaract organizations and international Rotary. I9m very nervous about not developing a strong6 consistent and reliable relationship with two or three service organizations. :owever6 I have already got three ideas for self-designed service activities that I9ll propose to the Rotaract team. Rotary.org also provides contact information of important Rotary

members with whom I want to consult with. In order for me to get others e1cited about committing to the organization6 I need to grow my passion for Rotaract. ,he third theory3concept that I will use to prepare me for my pro)ect will be this" BCommunity" ,he +tructure of 'elongingC. Community engagement and fellowship are two main pillars that Rotaract will be built upon. I fortunately found the book in stock in the Cincinnati &ibrary downtown. -eter 'lock6 the author6 discusses the disconnection between communities6 churches6 businesses and schools. I want to make one of Rotaract9s missions to be to foster closer interdependent relationships between the University of Cincinnati and the local community. I envision the organization creating a pen pal relationship with Ronald (c2onald :ouse or its own garden alongside a dirty6 inner-city road. I plan to get the book this coming week. >. Initiative6 Independence6 and3or Creativity (y uni7ue contribution is that I am serving as -resident of Rotaract6 I am rebuilding the membership because it discontinued last year6 I am establishing an $1ecutive team and I have officially designed a 8eebly website6 acebook page6 ,witter page and I am currently working on linking the 8eebly website to Campus &ink. ,his initiative all started with an email sent out by the :onors listserv service and a couple minutes I spent reading through the email. Initially I didn9t realize that I9d be serving as -resident and re-registering the organization with +.&2. I was clueless about starting an organization and the entire comple1 registration process. Indeed6 in high school I was a member of the $1ecutive board for two different clubs and I had to fill out grant applications and deal with other administrative paperwork. :owever6 the college student organization process re7uires more detail6 faculty involvement and official +.' recognition3approval. +till6 my previous leadership positions held in high school have prepared me for the Rotaract process in many ways. +ome ideas I am bringing to the organization is to form committees within the club to give students a sense of ownership and belonging in the club. .dditionally6 since I signed up for numerous volunteer activities in high school6 I know about many small and big service organizations within the Cincinnati area. +o6 that knowledge has made the list of possible service organizations 7uite full. Compared to others6 my involvement has honestly been 7uite more. ,here is one member who has helped a lot with recruiting from his 2..- program. ,here are > other $1ec members who have attended two weekly meetings and have contributed in a couple ways. I am hopeful that as time passes6 they9ll get even more e1cited about the organization and provide more input to group discussion. &astly6 I have demonstrated initiative since the beginning. I remember perfectly the day I received the email. I was in my friend Collin9s room and I asked him if he had ever heard of Rotaract. :e immediately answered ByesEC and I proposed that we work together to get it started. !ow6 a month later6 I have ?4F people signed up6 regular meetings at Aam at -anera on +undays6 a website made6 social media involvement and I9m almost done with the +.&2 registration process. ,he ne1t step is to communicate with service organizations and ask to work with them +pring semester and ideally forever. I also need to contact a couple Rotary members to invite them to speak at a meeting. inally6 I have to research leadership conferences in the area and get members involved with Rotary activities happening on a regular basis. ?. Reflection I will actively reflect on my learning by creating a blog on my 8eebly site I made for @ateway to :onors class. I am not afraid to advertise my struggles6 insights6 worries6 accomplishments and ideas. .fter some meetings6 speaker events or community service events I will blog about them. ,he blogging with be on the same page as the UCRotaract page on the 8eebly website. D. 2issemination I have already mentioned several methods by which I have disseminated my student organization pro)ect. . 8eebly site6 acebook page6 ,witter page and Campus &ink page have already been created. .nother way of dissemination that has contributed the most to recruitment has been word of mouth. I9ve definitely recognized that networking is important right from the beginning of a pro)ect. In the near future6 I want to set-up for a couple hour period of time a Rotaract table on the second floor of &C' by the elevators. I9ve seen organizations set-up there and pass out fliers and encourage students to sign up. Creating business cards for the organization is the ne1t step. It9ll include meeting times6 dates and Rotaract9s mission statement. .lso6 it9ll be good to include the logo and all the social media information. &astly6 Rotaract will have a spot in the +tudent .ctivities air to be held ne1t semester. I want the entire $1ecutive board to be present at that event. ,here is no specific audience that I am

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aiming to advertise to. I think its important for all UC students to engage in community service and network with local professionals. G. -ro)ect .dvisor /list the person9s name6 title6 and contact information0 UC -ro)ect .dvisor -2ebbie 'rawn brawndl%ucmail.uc.edu ?15-??D-D<<D Rotary -ro)ect .dvisors -Ute -aptke -resident of Cincinnati Rotary utemunich%aol.com -+hirley &ove Rotarian slove%fuse.net H. 'udget /if applicable0 Rotaract will likely need money for spirit wear /pins6 t-shirts6 sweatshirts0. .lso6 I9ll need money for possible leadership conferences my group will attend in the year. I cannot provide any hard numbers because I do not know how many people will order spirit wear or how many and how much the conferences will be. It9ll also be nice to use funds for food at meetingsE Rotary club also usually asks that each member pays I14 in due fees which will be discussed at the first meeting.