Student Impact ... Student Impact hits Harding's campus e arrived with excitement, determination, and yes, even a little apprehension. The beginning of the first student endeavor that Harding had ever sponsored was at hand. Its name? Student Impact. The idea for organizing Student ~mpact on Harding's campus originated in the minds of Alice Mankin, a senior public relations major from Nashville, Tennessee, and Deans Mary Beth Downing and Eddie Campbell in the summer of 1985. On August 20, 1986, it was time for the planned project to become real people rather than mere names on paper. Student Impact was co-directed by Mankin and Lori Bailey, a senior from Searcy. A selected steering committee planned activities and group sessions for the week as well as taking care of financial problems that arose during the session. The impact leaders were comprised of more than We need energy. An energy group meets on the front lawn to touch base with each other. Energy groups helped the freshmen mingle and make new friends. Some of those friends will last a lifetime. - photo by Brad Watson. 150 upperclassmen who sacrificed the last few weeks of their summer to help the incoming freshmen feel at home and avoid mistakes that had been experienced by the leaders when they first arrived at Harding. The nucleus of the week was spent in clusters of people called energy groups. These groups were made up of 12-15 students that met twice daily. The main purpose of the energy group was to provide a need of identity and belongingness. The smaller groups made the topics easily discussed and gave an openess that might have taken weeks to develop without Student Impact. The Student Life Committee was responsible for the activities throughout the week. The committee planned mixers, movies, games, cheer competitions, concerts, and much more to entertain both new and old students alike. The last night of Student Impact began with a "reservation only" dinner in the American Heritage Cafeteria. The new students were escorted to the line and their trays were carried as a special service. After dinner, the closing ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Administration Building. Jim Bill Mclnteer, minister of the West End Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, was the guest speaker. He encouraged the new students to be the best that they could be while they were here at Harding. The night ended with an emotional air when the upperclassmen lit candles and then passed them throughout the students as they sang songs together. Student Impact was a first for Harding University, but the success was only one in a long list of many. The positive influence could still be seen throughout the campus. It's. over ... but only for a year!+ - Amy Fisher The brains and the brawn. Co-directors Lori Bailey, a senior from Searcy, Arkansas, and Alice Mankin, a graduate from Nashville, Tennessee, discuss plans for the commencement of the Student Impact Retreat with Jim Martin, a senior from Vincennes, Tennessee. Although Mankin had already graduated, she came back to see the final product in progress. - photo by Bill Tripp. Student Impact 9
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