Wrap up!

This is the last blog blogged by blogger Elyse ever in the Panthers for Planned Parenthood blogsite. Enjoy.

1. In just a sentence describe your Summit Experience this past year?

My Summit experience this past year has been a trying, rewarding, and stressful event.

2. What aspects of Summit do you feel will be beneficial to you as you continue your Drury experience?

I feel that Summit will benefit me by giving me the gumption to be more outspoken, active, and more of an overall leader. This experience has made me more capable of standing up for what I believe in and not letting others make me feel guilty or wrong for doing so.

3. What was the greatest thing you learned from living in Summit Park?

The greatest thing I learned form living in Summit Park is the value of neighbors. I really enjoyed having neighbors and getting to know them. The Summit Park community is a pretty tight knit one, and it is comforting to know the people you live next to. The value of a community and neighborhood setting is widely unknown to Americans.

4. What impact do you feel you have made on the community along with your agency and why?

I feel the impact we have made on the community is giving people of all ages access to a safe sexual life. We have reduced the stigma of all kinds of birth controls, given sexual assault victims a voice, and spoken with many members of the Springfield community about sex education.

5. If you would have not had the chance to live in Summit, how would have this changed your experience at Drury?

This would have given me more free time, but it also would have taken away the chance to speak out and talk with community members. I have met some fantastic people through Planned Parenthood events and other events we have attended.

6. Looking back at the Summit Experience over the past year what would you have changed and why?

I would have had more on campus events the spring semester, as well as tried to get a table at events like Earth Day. This type of publicity allows for Drury students and faculty to see that Planned Parenthood is an active agency on campus.

7. What is some advice you would give to future Summit groups?

I would say communication is key. Get ahead during the beginning of the semester planning events and planning dates you most likely can attend. The later the semester gets, the more difficult it becomes to balance everything on your plate. Plan and budget your time very very wisely.

Don't forget to practice safe sexual health!

Peace, love, and Elyse

April Showers

What accomplishments have happened with your project over the course of this spring semester?

So far we have had some pretty good accomplishments this spring semester. We have gotten a substantial amount of signatures for the Birth Control Matters Campaign. We have also started working with some other Drury faculty and students on forming a Drury branch of VOX (Planned Parenthood's organization).

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

The greatest experience this month was the recent meeting we had to begin VOX. It is exciting to get in on the ground level, see that other people are excited to implement Planned Parenthood for good on Drury's campus, and begin educating the people of Drury on sexual health.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

My greatest challenge is just finding the time. I have been really busy all year, and even more so this semester. It becomes hard to volunteer with an agency when there really isn't any bad consequences if I do not go. It is even harder when I have so much homework that when I get a break, all I want to do is sleep. However, I have been pushing through this semester and using any Planned Parenthood events as a well welcomed break from my hectic schedule.

What projects or activities do you still have planned to finish out the year?

One project we are extremely excited about is the Get Naked Campaign. We will be selling Naked juice around campus before the end of the year with a condom attached. This will bring a lot of attention because of recent events barring the selling of Naked juice on campus. With students in an outrage, we will attract rebels and Naked lovers alike. Getting them to our table is the first step in educating them on sexual health.

And time keeps Marching on

Hey hey!

Another month gone, and Panthers for Planned Parenthood is still sticking in there. The past month we have not been as active on campus due to outside activities taking up the majority of our time. Some of the members of Drury's PP group, however were able to attend Feminist Happy Hour put on by our Faculty Advisor, Erin Kenny. The event was successful, and a great way to spread information about what Planned Parenthood does for Southern Missouri.

Our main focus for this past month has been to secure more signatures on the Birth Control Matters petition. We also have events planned for the next month that are sure to be successful as well. "Taking Back the Night" is a Planned Parenthood event that will be held on MSU's campus in April. The purpose of "Taking Back the Night" is not only to raise awareness, but also gather funds for Planned Parenthood to put to good use for the many men and women that utilize the services. Tickets for the event will be sold, with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood directly. Attending this glorious night will be many awesome people, the DJ from "Makeout!", and fellow dancers of all types. There will be snacks, dancing, conversing, and a ton of fun.

More information on April's events will be shared next month. Have a great one, and get excited for Planned Parenthood events to come!!

Peace, Love, & Elyse

Vagina Monologues

This month we teamed up with the V Warriors to help make this year's Vagina Monologues a success with our very own Planned Parenthood table. We passed out condoms (as per usual), coupons, brochures, GYT stickers, and had a petition for free birth control on the table. What helped make our table different, however is the fact that we recently acquired designer condoms! They have unique pink designs on the packaging, and some of the condoms themselves are even pink-just in time for Valentine's Day! I enjoyed working the Vagina Monologue booth because the V Warriors are doing a very important thing for society, and I loved being a part of this very special program.

What accomplishments do you hope to see happen with your project over the course of this semester?

I hope to continue to bring Planned Parenthood events, information, and fun to the Drury students on campus. I also hope to change the mindset of the average Drury student that sex isn't something to take lightly. Protection is a must!

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

My greatest experience has been my only experience, Vagina Monologues. The women that perform are so dedicated, and the monologues range from funny to heart wrenching. I think what they do is so important to the betterment of women across America and throughout the world. Stories about women and their needs and experiences must be heard in order to equalize gender roles.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

The greatest challenge also came with Vagina Monologues. We had a petition for free birth control with no copay for all women as well as more sex education in public schools. Most people signed this petition willingly, but some people adamantly refused and said that they didn't agree with what the petition was doing. It was hard to at times take a defeat like that. However, overall the petition was a success.

Through the class this semester what is the one project or activity you are looking forward to the most?

I am looking forward to the tech free day because I feel it can be beneficial to myself as well as my peers. A day without technology will be tough for most of us, considering we were practically born with a computer and cell phone in our hands. I feel it will teach me that I do not need to be glued to my phone to survive.

How has this past semester made you a stronger leader and what leadership roles do you plan to take on this semester for your Summit Group?

I feel that my leadership role in this house is to be the voice of reason. At times issues may arise and opinions about events may clash. It is easy for me to step back, think about the situation, and tackle it from a different perspective. This will come in handy when deciding when and where to have events as well as carrying them out efficiently.

Yours,

Elyse

Last blog of the 2010 year!

Events we participated in with Planned Parenthood are the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month along with World Aids Day. We passed out teal ribbons along with information packets for the Ovarian Cancer Awareness. We also baked cookies and gave them out as well in order to remind everyone on campus to be aware of Ovarian Cancer. For World Aids Day we got a Christmas Tree and decorated it with reindeer ornaments that held condoms. We had information on how to be safe and also cards for people to sign and send to our Senator about sexual education in schools.

The best experiences I've had this semester are bonding with Drury students and teaching my fellow man about sexual responsibility and the importance of testing. I really enjoyed interacting with students on campus and sharing Planned Parenthood goals and causes. On the other hand there were some tough experiences as well. Mostly it was difficult getting started and being aware of how to help and how to market Planned Parenthood. We had some difficulty jumping into the semester, but once we had a few events under our belt it because much easier for us to coordinate.

Our group projects will become easier to handle and coordinate in this upcoming semester. I feel that we will continue to work well together and have interesting events planned. Also as time goes on more organizations seem to learn about what we are doing here at Drury and have approached us to join with them in a few events. If this continues to be the trend, we will be involved again in projects closely related to Planned Parenthood with other groups again next semester.

I have learned how to coordinate events as well as how to speak with others and talk with them about Planned Parenthood and all the events they have. It is also good for me to have to go up to people I do not know and start a conversation with them. It is not something I would normally do, so taking myself out of my normal comfort zone has been good for me.

I feel like the Stress Free Now Component is not something that needs to be continued with Summit students. We are all extremely busy and the Stress Free component seems to just be stressing us out even more. I really enjoyed all the activities but especially yoga and acupuncture.

What are you looking forward to over the winter break?

I am looking forward to not having classes, mainly. And also making money as I will be working most of my break.

Elyse

Uno Juno

Hello, hello...

Just going to say that our Safe Sex campaign with safe sex art and kinky crafts went extraordinarily well! We had a great turnout and a lot of positive feedback. It was a blast!

Planned Parenthood has one more event in the works for Drury students this semester. And yep, you guessed it...its JUNO! We will be playing the classic movie Juno in Lay Hall auditorium on November 29th at 6 pm. We will have grab bags with condoms and informational pamphlets inside as well as lube, Planned Parenthood pins, and dental dams for free! There will be some form of refreshments for your enjoyment that will include Twizzlers, Sunny D, and possibly even Taco Bell. Hopefully there will be another great turnout so we can spread awareness on safe sex, getting tested, sexual consequences, and all the amenities Planned Parenthood has to offer.

Now I'm supposed to answer questions Andrew Wiemer asked of us. So here goes:

What events have taken place at the agency you have volunteered and how have you assisted?

There are many events Planned Parenthood plans and participates in each month. We had the liberty of picking which ones we wanted to be involved in and how to help. We helped raise money and spread awareness during Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and have a petition for free birth control we take to events and raise signatures for their Birth Control Matters campaign.

How do you feel your volunteerism is making an impact upon the agency thus far?

I feel our volunteerism is helping to form alliances with Planned Parenthood through Drury. It also helps to get rid of the stigma of birth control and spread awareness in general about sexual health and responsibility.

Looking back over the semester so far what struggles have you encountered with the agency?

We have had struggles getting all 8 of our Summit group members together at the same time, marketing and organizing events, and getting in touch with our Planned Parenthood community advisor. It just becomes difficult to get events completed efficiently with so many people in the mix.

What is your experience like in Summit Park with your roommates and how have you interacted with the Summit community?

I love living with my roommates. There is always someone to talk to, hang out with, and work on homework with. I enjoy the Summit socials because it helps the people of each house and group mingle when otherwise we wouldn't have. I find it interesting and inspirational to hear what each house has done for the community and their philanthropy.

How is the Stress Free and Wellness Experience going for you as we hit the midway mark?

I like the events we go to like Yoga and Tai Chi. However, I find the online program slightly corny and at (most) times hard to take seriously. I would like to see a yoga class on campus once or twice a week that I can continue to attend after this program is over. It works well to have the classes at 8 pm on weeknights. This is a good break from homework and my hectic schedule.

Don't forget to attend JUNO NOVEMBER 29TH at LAY HALL at 6!!!!

Peace, love, and Elyse

Happy Halloween!

Hi all...

The month of October is fairly slow for us. We are planning at the moment on doing just one small event such as passing out condoms instead of candy to Drury Students. We figured this would be a great way of making condoms seem like less of a big deal, and each student's identity would be concealed, considering everyone will have amazing costumes! This allows for confidentiality as well as helping out the campus for their needs on a night that is notorious for midnight rendezvous.

In other news, November is a exciting month for us. We are planning all kinds of fun adventures such as a Juno night at the Lay Auditorium and teaming up with the V-Warriors and Allies in order to promote safe sex through art. We will put big tarps in the ballroom with paint, condoms, dental dams, lube, and other prevention items to make art with. The overall goal of this event is to reduce the stigma of using protection as well as having fun with certain items that may seem taboo. We are all really excited about these upcoming events.

On a side note, we have had two of the four bikes on our front porch stolen, and one was locked. What a terrible neighborhood! As a Summit family we are very disappointed in the caliber of morals (or lack thereof) in the surrounding area of Springfield. This is just a reminder to all the other college students out there who are naive and trusting - put your bike inside! Lock up your valuables! We have also had a BOX OF CONDOMS STOLEN OFF OUR FRONT PORCH!!!! This was sent to us from Planned Parenthood to give out to campus, and taken right from under our noses. My only hope is that the person who stole them is using them wisely.

Have a very Happy Halloween!

Be safe!

Elyse

TEAL APPEAL!

Hey everyone! As mentioned in my last blog, you are all aware it is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Panthers for Planned Parenthood had our very first (and successful) event today. We were stationed outside the Commons in the FSC with free cookies, teal ribbons, and information on Ovarian Cancer from 12 to 1 pm. The results were tremendous! We had many people come up to our desk and ask about the risks and signs of Ovarian Cancer. We ran out of ribbons very quickly and many people were extremely supportive to our cause. I'm looking forward to more events that will come later in the semester. Don't forget to wear your teal this month!

Here is a helpful website that talks all about the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ovarian-cancer/DS00293/DSECTION=symptoms

Elyse

The Beginnings!

My name is Elyse Coulter, and I am a second year Architecture and Art History major. I enjoy working with others and doing various activities to benefit my community.

Our job as a Summit group this year working with Planned Parenthood will be to get Drury students involved in practicing safe sex as well as promoting getting tested. Each person in the group will benefit from the other member’s views and ideas. How we were raised varies greatly throughout the group. This will add an interesting approach to each issue that arises. We can learn from others the various skill sets we each possess, and how to implement them in our everyday activities. I personally think I will grow in the way I communicate with others. The project will strengthen my ability to speak to a large crowd as well as recruit volunteers for Planned Parenthood events throughout the year. But what I'm most excited for is our project statement. We will be stamping out the stigma attached with Planned Parenthood and urging our peers to get tested and use protection. I'm looking forward to working with the community and campus in spreading awareness on Planned Parenthood.

September is Ovarian Awareness month, and currently we are mulling over the idea of working with teal ribbons and other ways to spread awareness for Ovarian Campus. We have many great activities planned throughout the year on campus, and I'll make sure to keep you posted on whats coming up. Stay safe.

Elyse