Rotary Auditorium

The Origins of Black History Month
What we now call Black History Month originated in 1926, founded by Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week. The month of February was selected in deference to Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln who were both born in that month. Carter G. Woodson was born in New Canton, Virginia, on December 19, 1875, and was the son of a slave. He began high school at the age of 20 and then proceeded to study at Berea College, the University of Chicago, the Sorbonne, and Harvard University, where he earned a PH.D in 1912. He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 to train black historians and to collect, preserve, and publish documents on black life and black people. He also founded the Journal of Negro History (1916), Associated Publishers (1922), and the Negro Bulletin (1937). Woodson spent his life working to educate all people about the vast contributions made by black men and women throughout history. Mr. Woodson died on April 3, 1950 and Black History Month is his legacy. Source:  inventorsabout.com/od/blackinventors/a/
BlackHistoryMonth.htm—Submitted by Diversity Task Force (02.08.12)

Focus on Diversity Archive

The International Club
Advisor, Sydia Gayle-Fenner, (704.878.4372, sgaylefenner@mitchellcc.edu)
The International Club explores a variety of cultural backgrounds for those who are interested in learning more about other cultures. Advisor, Sydia Gayle-Fenner, worked with her student team, and they hosted a panel discussion with a student from India, discussed weddings in different cultures with China as the main focus, and talked about customs and practices in different cultures. The International Club also co-sponsored the International Festival in April.

Mitchell Community College Christian Community
Advisor, David Moss, (704.878.3317, dmoss@mitchellcc.edu)
Mitchell Community College Christian Community allows Christian students on campus to get together for worship, Bible study, outreach, and fellowship. This club just started in Spring of 2011, and the Student Leadership Team worked with advisor, David Moss, to kick start an incredible program.—Submitted by Anita McGill (08.17.11)

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Tips for Greener Trash Practices
According to the Seventh Generation company, if every household in America replaced just 20 tall kitchen drawstring trash bags made with virgin plastic with 20 bags made with 65 percent recycled content, we would save 39,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 2,200 US homes for a year. We would also save landfill space and reduce air pollution needed to produce the plastic. Here are some ways to be greener with trash disposal:

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New Challenges: Memory Series
The brain can recall and store much more information than we generally think it can. To use more of it, we must first, as mentioned last week, give up negative self-talk. "I can," rather than "I can’t" must become our mantra. The Greeks developed mnemonics, later used by the Romans, and being revived today as a major method to remember lists of things. Short term memory involves mostly left-brain triggers such as order, sequence, and numbers. In addition to repetition, using right-brain triggers such as imagination, exaggeration, humor, absurdity, color and the senses, enhances the ability to move information to long-term memory and retrieve it more easily. If you were asked to remember and list the five Tudor English monarchs in order, you might think of going into a museum and in hall number seven (a lucky number) you see a portrait of Henry the Seventh. You think "how appropriate," and next to him is Henry the Eighth. Once again it seems logical. Then you hear over the intercom in a ghostly voice "EME" several times. EME is an acronym for Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth. Now, think of the story, visualize and listen to it. Name the five rulers in order. If you can’t, reread the story and try again. —Submitted by Employee Development (08.25.10)

Take a Break from Work
If you begin working early in the morning and don’t quit until bedtime, there will be no room in your life to focus on anything but your job. So, make sure you take some time for non-work activities everyday or at least several times a week. Here’s how you can spend some of your time away from work:

Health & Wellness Corner Archive

• Healthy Snacks at Work
  When you are working, it is often difficult to find healthy snacks to munch on throughout the day. Our "desktop dining" habits can be a potential health disaster. Here are some examples of snacks that are good to keep handy in your desk. (From the WebMD article Easy, Healthy Workplace Snacks.)

  • Trail mix and/or dried fruits and nuts

  • Breakfast cereal (choose a higher-fiber, lower-sugar type)

  • Cans of higher-fiber, lower-fat, and lower-sodium soup (don’t forget the can opener)

  • Instant oatmeal packets (look for less-sugar options)

  • Tuna salad kit (includes a small can of water-packed tuna, a relish packet, and crackers)

  • Higher-fiber, lower-fat crackers (like reduced-fat Triscuits)

  • Natural-style peanut butter with crackers, bagels, and/or fruit

  • Packets of low-calorie hot chocolate

Here are some simple perishable snacks you can bring for the day:

• Low-fat yogurt with fruit

• Low-fat cottage cheese with fruit

• Reduced-fat cheese with lower-fat, higher-fiber crackers

A small portion of leftovers from last night’s meal that you warm up in a microwave. —Submitted by the MCC Wellness Committee (03.24.10)

• Exercise at Work
  You think you don’t have time to exercise? Research shows that frequent short bouts of exercise have cumulative effects, and a bunch of fitness bursts confer almost the same health and weight-loss benefits as one longer session. Here are some innovative ways you can fit many minutes of exercise into your day—a few at a time!

  • Stand and Deliver. You’ll feel less tired and your brain will work better if you stand as much as possible while you work or study. Take "standing breaks" at least every hour and work standing up, if possible, for 5-10 minutes. You’ll burn 25% more calories. Don’t lean over your desk, though—find tasks that let you stay upright, like returning phone calls, reading or jotting notes using a clipboard. If you pace as you work, you’ll burn almost four times as many calories as sitting.

  • Pump Rubber. Keep stretchy latex resistance bands that work your muscles as though they’re lifting weights at work. Step on the bands and do five minutes of shrugs, squats, upright rows and lateral raises. These will wind you up better than caffeine.

  • Skip a Step. Surely you already take the stairs, not the elevator. Pump up the intensity by taking the stairs two at a time.

  • Ab Alert. Do isometric abdominal intervals anytime, anywhere you stand or sit. Contract your abs six times slowly (6-second rep), then six times quickly (2-second rep), then six times super-slowly (10-second rep), and repeat.

"25 Ways To Exercise When You Barely Have a Minute" by Joan Price  —Submitted by the MCC Wellness Committee (03.10.10)