BLOG (RED)

The JOIN (RED) SHU Blog is now featured on the Sacred Heart Website. You can access the page by going to the “Student Blogs” section, or by clicking here. The page is set up to give an accurate view of life at SHU from a student’s perspective - and what better way than to feature a socially responsible one?

Phi Omega Tau and PEPFAR

Two more updates for the week:

I’ve been talking with Phi Omega Tau, which is a sorority on campus whose main objective is AIDS Awareness. The sisters realize that AIDS is one of the most dangerous killers of our time, especially among people of our age. The women of Phi Omega Tau are working hard to ensure that they do all in their power to educate and inform people about this deadly epidemic, while helping those who have been infected with the virus. More importantly, they’ve taken the initiative to integrate themselves with (RED)! We’re looking forward to this amazing partnership, and as always, are looking for more ways to gain support from other on-campus organizations.

Second, I know it’s a bit late coming, but PEPFAR was recently reauthorized for $48 billion in AIDS Relief over the next 5 years. Don’t know what PEPFAR is all about? It’s the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and you can read my post all about it here.

Hallmark in the Bookstore

Good news! I spoke with Ramona Strang, our bookstore manager at Sacred Heart, and she was more than happy to stock the (RED) Hallmark Cards! For SHU students, the card rack is in the back right corner of the bookstore, near the opposite end of the textbooks. Please use this as a great resources for all those birthdays and great occasions!

To find out more about Hallmark (RED), please visit the official site.

Also, Hallmark is asking for new card designs! Now through August 18th, Hallmark and (RED) are accepting submissions for our second card contest. We’re calling for holiday cards that reflect the inspiration and optimism of (PRODUCT) RED. Finalists will have their card produced and sold online, with 8% of the proceeds going to the Global Fund, and could win up to $1,000! Click here for more details!

Additionally, if SHU is approved as an authorize apple re-seller, we’ll be able to stock (RED) iPods, but that conversation is still in the works.

(RED) for Dell and Windows

This is one of my long term projects, and I’m still working on logistics, but I already know I’m going to need some student support with this.

As all SHU students know, we receive a Laptop at the beginning of Freshman year, followed by a “refresh” our Junior year. Currently we’ve been leasing IBM Thinkpads and Macbooks - but that may change. Now that we’ve got Dell and Windows on board, hopefully I can get the Information Technology department and the powers at be to look into some major changes to the program for the 09-10 school year. It’s a long term project, but someone’s got to be working on it… Dell and Windows will donate up to $80 per item sold, meaning that with over 2,000 undergrads leasing a computer each year (incoming Freshman and Juniors), Sacred Heart would be driving over $80,000 in funds back to the Global Fund. Plus, it would be a recurrent event that would take place year after year - that would be HUGE!

On the same note, I’m pursuing the idea of having (RED) items readily available in the bookstore, such as Hallmark cards and iPods…we’ll see how well that one works out! Keep your fingers crossed, with a little hard work I’m sure we can get it done. This is only the tip of the iceberg! As always, feel free to contact me if you have an idea you’d like to share!

FEATU(RED)

That’s right - Sacred Heart University’s (RED) Blog is featured on Joinred.com!

We’re not just about the publicity though - we’re still hard at work, getting our team up and running for September. We’re still looking for Executive Board members, so if you’re interested, please fill out the application below and follow the submission directions!

(RED) SHU Application

I’ll also take a minute to endorse the 5 other campus blogs, which can be found at the links below:

Stephanie Alston, North Carolina A & T
Simon Chun, University of Notre Dame
Kelsey Neff, San Diego State University
Jordyn Pressler, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Tian Wen, Harvard University

(RED) on Facebook

Sacred Heart’s own Facebook group just started up, so please join the group and show your support! We’ve got well over 100 members in just a few hours, so we’re growing quite steadily!

I’ll also take this opportunity to announce that (RED) is looking for executive board members for the 2008-2009 year. These positions will be a part of Sacred Heart’s ONE Campaign, but will focus specifically on (RED) advocacy and outreach. Definitely a great way to fight for issues you care about as well as a perfect resume booster! If you’re interested, please email me and we’ll begin talking about some possibilities.

Also, while you’re on Facebook, become a fan of (RED), and join The Global Fund Facebook Cause. They’re both great ways to keep up to date with (RED) on-goings!

(RED) Ideas

That’s what this blog is going to be all about. It’s purpose is two-fold; one, to keep all my (RED) friends in L.A. updated on just what we’re doing at Sacred Heart University, but to also inform and instruct those on campus trying to help (RED) out. So, check back often for updates and such, and please browse the other pages and websites in the links provided. DO THE (RED) THING TM !