"The best ideaScomefromthe most unexpected places," mass communication department chair Dr. Jack Shock said as he sat in the Sears Honors House living room surrounded by his class of freshmen honors students. Sitting on couches, in chairs, on the floor, on a piano bench or wherever comfortable space could be found, the students were diligently writing 300 letters, each one in pink ink. The month of October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which was dedicated to raising awareness of the dire necessity for women to frequently receive mammograms. In order to give this important month a helping hand, Shock and his Honors 201 critical thinking and communication class, hand-wrote 300 letters and mailed them to every professor on campus, asking each professor to grade their papers in pink ink. Freshman Jonathan Crews explained that his class was not like other classes. ouse checker at the door, the woman drew a ribbon in pink ink across the receipt instead of a simple slash to signify his items had been checked.The pink ribbon was an iconic symbol for breast cancer awareness. The symbol was so well-known that even the color pink became synonymous with breast cancer awareness. From this simple act, Shock felt a surge of inspiration to create a new service campaign. He called it "Think Pink." "It just goes to show how powerful the simplest message can be," Shock said. Students described just how the process would work. "Students definitely look at their grades, and not always fliers, so it will grab their attention," Denton said. Every student from the class, male and female, participated in the service project and said they were excited about the results of raising awareness. "It is primarily discussion-based," Crews said. "We discuss the truths, warrants and reasons of the issues of the day. [Dr. Shock] teaches us to be passionate in whatever we care about. We do whatever we can for [that issue], and we do it for God." On Nov. 30, Honors College students get together for .. Chili Tuesdoy'" The purpos~d .. all you con eat for o dollar.. was to get stiJdents and faculty into the house and engooo in "We all jumped on board and loved it," freshman Max Michael said. "With the written word, potentially thousands of eyes will see the pink ink, and know what it means since pink is a symbol for breast cancer awareness." Shock expressed his hopes that the project, while simple, would grow exponentially and reach as many people as possible, one person at a time. conversation. Abby Kellett :,;. The students learned that in order to be passionate about something, you must be active about it. "Dr. Shock wants us to find our passions," freshman Sarah Denton said. "We then form deeper, more solid opinions on our passions, and we find our cause to fight for." As theirteacher and mentor, Shock gave them just such a cause; that was where the pink pens came in. Shock explained to the class that his inspiration for the service project came to him as he was leaving Sam's Club. When he handed his receipt to the female receipt- "This service project is a spring board, or a jumping off point, to create a ripple effect," Shock said. "By raising awareness for 300 professors, that awareness can spread to 6,000 students, and from there on." Professor of communication Dr. Jim Miller said the pink pens were a perfect way to show support. "I told all my classes that the pink ink was to remind us to be thoughtful and prayerful fort he victims of breast cancer, as well as those who are working on a cure," Miller said. "I think it was a great project for Dr. Shock's honors class." john Mark Adkison honors college 1 9 3 ~
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