The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity held its Second Annual ATO Charity Golf Classic on April 18 at the Hermitage Golf Course. The tournament benefited Blood:Water Mission, which is a local charity dedicated to providing clean water and preventing HIV/AIDS in Africa. This year the brothers were able to donate $14,500 to the worthy cause. Through the chapter’s efforts last year, ATO raised enough money to build two new water wells that will provide clean water where there was none before. ATO hopes to build another two wells with the money raised this year. For more information on Blood:Water Mission, visit www.bloodwatermission.com . Donations are still being accepted; send a check to ATO Charity Golf Classic, Alpha Tau Omega, P.O. Box 120742, Nashville, TN 37212.
ATO Raises $14,500 With Golf Classic
Howell Recognized as All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently awarded Belmont track and field athlete Tyler Howell with its annual All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year award. This award, which recognizes dedication to strength training and conditioning, was given to 207 collegiate athletes from 116 schools from across the nation. Howell was nominated for the award by Belmont Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Josh McMillian.
“Tyler was a walk-on to the Belmont track and field program as a freshman,” said McMillian. “He has never missed a day in the weight room and not only increased his strength over the past three years, but has also changed his body and become more of an athlete.”
Howell, a senior from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, is a four-year letterwinner as a thrower, competing in the shot put and hammer. During the 2009 indoor and outdoor seasons, he has 11 top-10 finishes, including two top-five finishes in the weight throw at the last two Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Championships.
Goss Named Drummer for Jars of Clay
Graduating senior Jake Goss was recently named the new drummer for local band Jars of Clay. The band is currently on tour in support of its latest album, The Long Fall Back to Earth.
PT Faculty Awarded by Susan G. Komen Foundation
Belmont Physical Therapy faculty Renee Brown, PT, PhD, worked with two Vanderbilt faculty members on a project which was awarded $75,000 from the Susan G Komen Foundation, Greater Nashville. The project is titled “Transitioning from cancer patient to survivor: physical and functional considerations after breast cancer for primary care providers and survivors.” This project will focus on educating primary care providers about long term physical and functional problems after breast cancer as well as providing them with education materials to provide their patients.
PT Students Develop Festival for Disabled Children
Belmont Physical Therapy students recently developed and implemented a sports festival for children with disabilities. Students worked with “Empower Me” Day Camp to put on an afternoon of fun games and sporting activities for school-age children. Empower Me provides summer day camps, social and recreational activities throughout the school year for children with disabilities. The Physical Therapy students planned several fun activities that each had a specific therapeutic purpose. Activities included obstacle courses, parachute games, face painting and crafts, sensory-based activities and other childhood games adapted for children with disabilities.
Senior Business Students Achieve Top Ranking on National Exam
Belmont’s College of Business Administration announced that many of its graduating seniors scored at or above the top 10 percent level on the Major Field Test in Business, an exam produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, N.J. The ETS exam has been administered to almost 85,000 students at 564 undergraduate business programs across the U.S.
“Many of our students are now demonstrating that they can score very well when compared to their peers at other U.S. business schools” said Susan Taylor, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. “Their performance is a direct reflection of our focus on delivering a high-quality program and the individual attention our students receive from our highly-qualified faculty.”
Belmont Recognizes Scholar Athletes at Year-End Reception
Belmont University’s scholar-athletes were honored Monday in a special ceremony in the Maddox Grand Atrium, as numerous administrative officials remarked on Belmont athletes’ academic achievements and strong character. Dr. John Gonas, who won the 2008 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Faculty Academic Inspiration Award, noted his pride in Belmont athletes in three distinct areas: balance, conduct and humility, and community involvement.
“I have three boys who are 9, 7 and 4 1/2 who love sports just about more than anything else, and my boys look up to you more than professional athletes,” Gonas said, remarking how one son had chosen his team number based on his favorite player at Belmont. “Thank you for being examples on the court, in the field, in the classroom and in the community.”
For the first time this year, four co-winners were announced for the President’s Scholar Athletes of the Year awards, marking the strength of this year’s field of candidates. Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher ultimately doubled the traditional number of recipients, honoring volleyball’s Cat Mundy, women’s golfer Lorie Warren, men’s basketball’s Andy Wicke and cross country/track & field athlete Kipkosgei Magut.
Click the “more” link below for a complete list of award winners.
Fiesta Belmont Returns for Fifth Annual Latin Culture Celebration
Fiesta Belmont, Nashville’s Latin Music Street Fair, returns Sat., May 9 for its fifth annual celebration of Latin culture. Sponsored by Belmont University, the street fair features a day-long schedule of continuous Latin music performances, Latin food vendors, kids’ activities and folkloric Latin dance groups. Admission to the event, which runs from noon-7 p.m. on the Belmont University campus, is free.
Ebony Cosby, student event coordinator, said, “We believe this festival provides a positive showcase for culture and interaction within the community. This event has become a class project, and we are proud to be a part of this.”
The event features family and local business vendors who will be supplying Columbian, South American, Caribbean and Hispanic food for this fifth annual event. Entertainment includes traditional folkloric dancers, along with a wide variety of Latin music such as mariachi, conjunto/cumbias and salsa from Nashville’s top professional Latin bands. Admission and parking to this family-friendly event are free, and kids’ activities—such as piñatas, face painting, bubble activity and inflatable slides—are also provided at no extra charge.
Belmont faculty member Dr. David Herrera, who also serves as Fiesta Belmont event director, said, “This event celebrates the growing diversity that is becoming Nashville. It mirrors the authentic Street Fairs of my childhood in New Mexico, showcasing music and incredible food. I am proud that Belmont provides this showcase for local culture, food and interaction within the community.”
Net profits from the event will benefit the YMCA Hispanic Achievers Program—a program that assists local youth and parents through mentorship and educational programs. For more information, visit www.latinstreetfair.com or contact David Herrera at (615) 460-6908 or at herrerad@mail.belmont.edu .
Lake’s Novel Selected as Baylor Common Book
Dr. Joy Jordan Lake, adjunct professor and wife of Vice President of Spiritual Development Todd Lake, recently had her debut novel, Blue Hole Back Home, selected as the 2009 Common Book for Baylor University. The Common Reading is designed for all freshman and transfer students at Baylor University to engage new students in discussion about an important theme or idea with fellow classmates, upper-class students and faculty.
Greenberg Named A-Sun Track Athlete of the Week
The Belmont men’s track and field team closed out the month of April with a successful stop at the Western Kentucky Hilltopper Invitational led by shot putter Pierce Greenberg’s second place finish. His throw earns him Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday. The sophomore notched a second-place finish in the shot put with a team-high distance of 13.84 m. The Raleigh, N.C., native (Cardinal Gibbons HS) topped his season best, set 13.46 meters at the Austin Peay Spring Fling, and now ranks fourth in conference standings. Greenberg also finished in sixth place in the hammer throw with a mark of 37.22m.
