KINGSTON, R.I. –April 15, 2003—One University of Rhode Island student is a star soccer player who scores high on leadership, another student is a campus tour guide committed to helping others, and a third student has the ability to bring people together. All three students, as well as the URI Tootell Aquatics team, received 2003 Rainville Awards during ceremonies held at URI on April 8.
For the past 15 years, URI’s Office of Student Involvement/Memorial Union and Office of Student Life have held an annual celebration to honor students who have been successful in various leadership roles while maintaining a solid academic record. The purpose is to recognize, encourage, and celebrate student leadership in the URI campus community. The award is named in memory of A. Robert Rainville, the vice president for Student Affairs from 1980 to 1986. This year, more than 70 students and 21 student groups were nominated for the three award categories: 1) the leadership award, 2) the student employee award, and 3) the team excellence award.
Leadership Award
This year, two URI students received leadership awards. They are:
o Michael Charles of Glendora, Calif. an honor student who will graduate in May with a double degree in biological sciences and English. He has been the goalkeeper for URI’s soccer team, which has participated in NCAA playoffs. A founding member and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Charles organized an open-mic session on Title IX and sports that attracted more than 500 people.
o Kristine Braley of Auburn, Maine a pharmacy major and a leadership minor. As a campus tour guide for URI’s Admission Office, she has served as an outstanding ambassador for URI. She is also Ropes Course instructor, helping incoming freshmen in URI’s Leadership Institute develop trust in themselves and each other. She is captain of a peer ministry team at Christ the King Catholic Church, leading retreats, singing in the choir, putting together a newsletter, leading prayer service, cooking meals, and serving as a Eucharistic minister. As president of the Newman Club, an organization that sponsors spiritual, social and community service activities, Braley has attended a Hunger Awareness conference in Maryland, led food drives, and helped revamp a homeless shelter in Philadelphia during spring break.
Student Employee Award
o Elizabeth Rosengren of Portland, Maine, an accounting major who will graduate in May, won the Student Employee Award. (She was also nominated for the Leadership Award.) Rosengren has been the student secretary in URI’s Office of Student Involvement for the past two and a half years. She has been a member, finance chair, and chair of the Memorial Union Board of Directors. The Board is a group that represents the students in all decisions involving policies, budget and programming in the Memorial Union, which houses 80 organizations, serveral businesses, and University offices. Rosengren is credited with bringing the student organization back from extinction to a productive group.
Team Excellence Award
The Tootell Aquatic Center team members at the University of Rhode Island work together each day to provide a safe, sanitary, accessible, fun, and educational place for the URI and local community members to take credit and non-credit classes, work out and/or just relax. The team has five aspects to ensure successful operation: 1) lifeguards, 2) instructors, 3) maintenance, 4) office assistants, and 5) party facilitators. The services/programs include learn to swim, aquatic fitness, CPR, first-aid, birthday parties, instructor courses – in addition to keeping the pools safe. The center was recently named “one of the top five aquatics programs in the country.”
For the past 15 years, URI’s Office of Student Involvement/Memorial Union and Office of Student Life have held an annual celebration to honor students who have been successful in various leadership roles while maintaining a solid academic record. The purpose is to recognize, encourage, and celebrate student leadership in the URI campus community. The award is named in memory of A. Robert Rainville, the vice president for Student Affairs from 1980 to 1986. This year, more than 70 students and 21 student groups were nominated for the three award categories: 1) the leadership award, 2) the student employee award, and 3) the team excellence award.
Leadership Award
This year, two URI students received leadership awards. They are:
o Michael Charles of Glendora, Calif. an honor student who will graduate in May with a double degree in biological sciences and English. He has been the goalkeeper for URI’s soccer team, which has participated in NCAA playoffs. A founding member and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Charles organized an open-mic session on Title IX and sports that attracted more than 500 people.
o Kristine Braley of Auburn, Maine a pharmacy major and a leadership minor. As a campus tour guide for URI’s Admission Office, she has served as an outstanding ambassador for URI. She is also Ropes Course instructor, helping incoming freshmen in URI’s Leadership Institute develop trust in themselves and each other. She is captain of a peer ministry team at Christ the King Catholic Church, leading retreats, singing in the choir, putting together a newsletter, leading prayer service, cooking meals, and serving as a Eucharistic minister. As president of the Newman Club, an organization that sponsors spiritual, social and community service activities, Braley has attended a Hunger Awareness conference in Maryland, led food drives, and helped revamp a homeless shelter in Philadelphia during spring break.
Student Employee Award
o Elizabeth Rosengren of Portland, Maine, an accounting major who will graduate in May, won the Student Employee Award. (She was also nominated for the Leadership Award.) Rosengren has been the student secretary in URI’s Office of Student Involvement for the past two and a half years. She has been a member, finance chair, and chair of the Memorial Union Board of Directors. The Board is a group that represents the students in all decisions involving policies, budget and programming in the Memorial Union, which houses 80 organizations, serveral businesses, and University offices. Rosengren is credited with bringing the student organization back from extinction to a productive group.
Team Excellence Award
The Tootell Aquatic Center team members at the University of Rhode Island work together each day to provide a safe, sanitary, accessible, fun, and educational place for the URI and local community members to take credit and non-credit classes, work out and/or just relax. The team has five aspects to ensure successful operation: 1) lifeguards, 2) instructors, 3) maintenance, 4) office assistants, and 5) party facilitators. The services/programs include learn to swim, aquatic fitness, CPR, first-aid, birthday parties, instructor courses – in addition to keeping the pools safe. The center was recently named “one of the top five aquatics programs in the country.”