sittin' pretty

To start things off, Casey ♥ Grant. I don’t remember why, exactly. He also gave woefully unprepared me a sheet of loose-leaf paper, which was so nice. And four doses of non-prescription pain reliever (Which, sadly, has not been working. Clarissa suggests drinking more water for headache relief. I will try this. Any other ideas?). Thanks, Grant.

Other WC men are apparently in need of love. This is too bad.

The feature presentation is introduced by Andrew, who, along with other members of the service committee (is that right?) “searched high and low for ways to help.” They found Wendy Rodriguez from the Catherine McAuley Center.

This is a non-profit, independently-funded adult education center in Cedar Rapids with the mission of providing free basic education to adults, with a particular focus on literacy, language acquisition for non-native English speakers, and GED preparation. The Cedar Rapids branch serves people from 46 different countries, mainly in Central and South America and Africa.

You can help by becoming a tutor. The McAuley Center is staffed almost entirely by volunteers (~100 students/week are helped by ~80 volunteer tutors), because its services are free and it receives no government funding. A 10-week commitment is requested (1-2 hours/week), and you will be assigned to work with the same student every week, enabling you to build a relationship with a single person. If you’re a student of Spanish or French you may have the opportunity to practice your language skills by being assigned to a native speaker of one of those languages. There is a set curriculum based on a book series – you are not expected to come up with lessons or materials on your own.

There is usually one morning and one evening tutor training session each month, but the Center can accommodate your schedule if neither time works.

Why you should become a tutor:
-It’s an opportunity to make a difference in the community
-Students are highly motivated
-Coe has a service-learning requirement (and you may be able to count your hours at McAuley toward work study or fellowship hours) which this fulfills
-Looks good on a resume
-Is great preparation for anyone interested in teaching or international anything

The McAuley Center’s Hours:
9am-8pm Mon-Thurs; 9am-4pm Fri; 9am-12pm Sat.

Location (within walking distance): 866 4th Ave. On the corner of 10th St and 4th Ave, next to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Contact our own Andrew for a tutor’s perspective or the Center’s director, Wendy Arnold-Rodriguez, for more specific information. Yellow tutor information packets can be found in Andrew’s WC mailbox – feel free to look through them.

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Final WC business:
--Danielle is looking for a dog sitter over Thanksgiving weekend (next Wednesday-Saturday). Enticements: you can stay at her house and eat her food in exchange for feeding her dog.
--Ariel and Emily (activities committee?) want to know whether anyone is interested in going rollerskating or bowling sometime. It may or may not be free, but will almost certainly be more fun than the question made it sound.
--A fracas ensues after Bob proposes that an orgy would be cheaper than either of the former activities.
--Keep entering orchid forms.
--“Does anyone remember Catie Steinman?” This is somehow related to orchid forms.
--There are only two staff meetings left in the year
--Has anyone seen Leta and Clarissa’s respective copies of the Enchiridion?
--Dave: “I’m sittin’ pretty.”

And that’s the end.