Ramona Fun Day at SSU

By Shayanna Bonner

What better way to celebrate the love of literacy than with the youth. Rose Metts, Ph.D., of the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures, along with students of Savannah State University (SSU) felt the same way when they decided to start a literacy program in spring 2012. The literacy program began at Haven Elementary School, but then moved to Thunderbolt Elementary School soon after.

Metts, along with Neesha Navare, Ph.D., Michele Rozga, Ph.D. and Janet Spencer, M.A. of the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures started the Thunderbolt Literacy Program. In preparation for the literacy program, the first-grade teachers of Thunderbolt Elementary were consulted in December 2015. From January to April 2016, Metts, Navare, Rozga and Spencer visited the first-grade classes weekly and read Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary.

Along with reading, they engaged the students in games that included upper-level vocabulary, created art based on the story, and distributed foods that were mentioned in the story. They made the book a reality for the students. Metts created a memento book for each student, and it included statements and photographs of the Savannah State professors. “The visits made every Wednesday the brightest day of the week,” said Navare.

Now, you can’t end the classroom activities without a little fun, right? Ramona Fun Day was just the way to end a great semester for the students. On April 29, 74 first-grade students and five teachers of Thunderbolt Elementary, one parent, 12 SSU student helpers, and four SSU professors gathered in the Willcox-Wiley gymnasium to celebrate Ramona Fun Day.

The event got its name from the book the professors had been reading to the students all semester long. Ramona Fun Day was designed to reinforce the first-grade students’ levels of reading engagement and understanding through interactive games and activities. The goal is to increase the degree to which first-graders comprehend and retain information from books, while encouraging them to continue mastering their reading skills and allowing them to engage with positive, enthusiastic Savannah State students in hopes of instilling a long-term goal of attending college.

SSU students played their part in making this event worthwhile for the younger students. Students were involved in vocabulary games, obstacle courses to build teamwork and trust and reflective writing exercises. All in all, the first-grade students were impressed with the fun activities. “Turn the bus around and play the games all over again,” said one student as they headed back to school. “This was a wonderful event and I hope that we can do it again,” said Spencer.

Preparing for hurricane season

With Savannah State's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Program
By Preshus January

Savannah State University’s (SSU) Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) program is the only bachelor’s degree in homeland security and/or emergency management in the state of Georgia. It is the first in the United States at a historically black college or university.

The program prepares students with skills and information to coordinate the full range of resources to improve outcomes in disasters. It offers knowledge specific to different types and causes of disasters including comprehensive and hazard-specific practices that lead to effective prevention, protection, preparedness, response and recovery, and lessons from past disasters.

Assistant Professor and Special Project Coordinator Norbert Chandler is passionate about his students knowing the importance of professionalism and staying alert. “We don’t follow separate guidelines, we follow the same protocol as FEMA and we support it.” His 35 year tenure of law enforcement service, with 23 years dedicated to homeland security, has been influential for the program. “Safe, Secured, Unified, that’s the SSU we identify as.”

The HSEM program is built on current and developing research with an emphasis on lessening impacts of disasters on the most vulnerable citizens.

The program complies with the SSU Emergency Management guidelines and the FEMA guidelines, and it prepares students for public and private sector positions in this growing field.

“It’s a lot of pressure to be a part of this program, you have to be able to relate to people and have an openness about you. It’s the new, cutting-edge profession of law enforcement,” says Chandler.

June 1 is the beginning of hurricane season on the Atlantic Ocean. With SSU being located in the Low Country, and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, it is important to know what to do in the case of an emergency.

Savannah has been in a drought with hurricanes. The last hurricane to hit Savannah was Hurricane David in 1979, which can lead to complacency. Chandler suggests that people should be prepared all year round. “I keep a bag in my trunk that has flashlights and batteries, emergency numbers and copies of important documents in a zip-lock bag, and special pictures that I otherwise would lose.”

Evacuation guidelines are particularly important and the Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) website features a variety of guides to help prepare families and individuals for safety in the case of a hurricane. CEMA has master plans ready to put into action at a moment’s notice, including handling increased traffic on evacuation routes.

“We have evacuation gates on I-16 to keep people from getting access in Savannah, so you can leave but you can’t get in. The faster we can communicate to the community, the better for emergency management. Everything starts locally,” says Chandler.

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The HSEM department annually sponsors a $500 scholarship to the intern of the year. HSEM also hopes to offer a fully online master’s program in the coming year.
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Preparation is key to successfully evacuating you and your family.

Important Hurricane Preparedness Tips:

• Know in advance where you will go and how you will get there.
• Create a “Go-Bag”.
• Have a communication plan for your household.
• Place important documents in zip-lock bags for waterproof protection.

SSU students talk politics with representative Craig Gordon

This October, Georgia state representative J. Craig Gordon returned as a guest lecturer in Urban Politics.  Gordon attended SSU and the university contributed to his knowledge of politics and desire for a career in public service.  Now in his fourth term, he was one of the youngest Georgians to be elected to the state’s General Assembly and is currently a deputy whip in the Georgia House of Representatives. He shared how to prepare for public service, the leadership structure in the General Assembly, and policy issues in the state.

Student Spotlight : Shanay Campbell

Shanay Campbell

Shanay Campbell, a Mass Communications major from the Washington, D.C. area, completed an internship this summer with Radio One in Washington, D.C., her hometown. She worked with the network's digital and promotions department assisting with online content for four local stations.

This school year, Ms. Campbell was awarded a scholarship that has not only provided the financial assistance she needs to pursue her dream of working in radio, but also, encouragement to continue to work hard academically.

"I was elated to get the scholarship," Ms. Campbell says. "It was another way for me to be able to focus on my academics and not worry about the financial burden that comes with the college experience, especially since I have a sister who is also in college. We come from a single-parent household."

"[Receiving the scholarship] is a motivational factor, because I know that if my GPA falls below a certain level, I may not get the financial support that I need. It keeps me pushing on those hard days. I am very appreciative of the scholarship. Not a day goes by that I don't think about the blessings that come my way through financial assistance at Savannah State."

SSU Employee Elected to International Board

Sametria McFall-Dickerson, assistant dean of the college of liberal arts and social sciences at Savannah State University (SSU), recently accepted an appointment to the board of directors for the Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences (CCAS). She will serve for three years. The group’s membership currently represents more than 700 deans from 500 colleges around the world.