194 academics what’s name? in a Sophomore Ashley Moore listens attentively during an Academic Resource Center seminar on Nov. 18. This was one of six learning enhancement seminars that was presented by the Academic Resources Center during November. Nick Michael Senior Amanda Nowlin works the front desk at the Education Resource Center on Nov. 5. The resource center was located on the third floor of the Thornton Education Building and was open to any Harding students and faculty. Noah Darnell McNair Scholars juniors Rachelle Martindale, Jacob Schroeder, Myles Thomas, Elizabeth Davis and Danielle Baker, seniors Jeremy Townsend and Rainisha Eady, graduates Shae Worley and Kubari Eady and director Dr. Linda Thompson pose in front of the Capitol on Jan. 20. This was the only Harding-sponsored group that attended the Inauguration in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of Jacob Schroeder The Education Resource Center is a media center/library located on the third floor of the WilmaStephens Thornton Education Building and contains a wealth of teacher resource materials, books, kits, DVDs and more. The center is designed primarily for use by education majors, faculty and staff in the College of Education at Harding but welcomes and encourages all faculty, staff and students to take advantage of the useful facility. On the afternoon of Jan. 20, students gathered around TV sets all over campus to watch the historical inauguration of President Barack Obama. One group of students, however, got to see the spectacle at a much closer distance – only a football field’s length away from where the ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. A group of nine students from the McNair Scholars Program, one of eight Federal TRIO Programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and director Dr. Linda Thompson endured a 24-hour bus ride to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration festivities firsthand. A week before Thanksgiving, the executive director of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission notified Dr. Jim Carr, executive vice president, that they had tickets to offer Harding if any students were interested in going to the inauguration. “Dr. Carr immediately thought of the McNair Scholars Program and called our office,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t at all sure we could afford to send our students. Multiplied by the number of students that would likely want to go, it was considerably more than my budget could handle.” Thompson opened the opportunity to all of the scholars, but there was a possibility that it would cost $500, $50 of which had to be paid before Thanksgiving break. At that point, nine of the 27 scholars decided to attend. Thompson called various offices on campus to see if there was any money available to help subsidize the trip. Dr. David Collins, assistant vice president and dean of student life, committed $2,000 to the trip, and the McNair office provided the remainder. “The trip only ended up costing the scholars $50 plus food,” junior Elizabeth Davis said. “Since only nine people signed up, they covered the rest of the cost for us.” After arriving in D.C. on the evening of Jan. 18, the students spent Monday, Jan. 19, seeing the Washington National Cathedral, the Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and eating at Hard Rock Café. While at the Capitol, the group met with Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, who gave them tickets to get into one of the four gated standing areas. On the day of the inauguration, the group ventured into the city at 4 a.m. and walked three miles to the gate they had tickets for. “When the gates opened, there were mad rushes of people to get into the gates,” Davis said. “It was crazy and the most people I have ever seen.” Junior Myles Thomas and senior Jeremy Townsend found a patch of open space in the gated area, and the group inched closer and closer to the stage. “We were about 100 yards away from Obama,” junior Jacob Schroeder said. “We were the first 10 of two million people to see [him] as president. We were so excited to experience this event.” Thompson noted that though the group would remember how cold and tired they were and how much their feet hurt, they would always remember that they were present for the swearing-in of the nation’s first African-American president. Davis agreed that the trip was an unforgettable experience. “It was so inspiring to be with that many fellow Americans to see something that will be written in history books,” Davis said. “There were people everywhere, and you could just feel the positive energy as President Obama gave his speech. People really clung to what he was saying, and everyone was just filled with such happiness.” Rachel Klemmer Inauguration Day McNair Scholars take a trip to Washington, D.C.
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