One of the approximately 70 student clubs and organizations at Eastern Connecticut State University is Eastern's American Marketing Association (AMA) Club. The AMA's mission is to develop the Eastern Chapter of the AMA into a resourceful and involved onganization by bringing prominent guest speakers to campus, sponsoring fundraising to support AMA events, participating in educational events, and performing community service.

One of the approximately 70 student clubs and organizations at Eastern Connecticut State University is Eastern's FEMALES club. The mission of FEMALES is to promote unity, leadership and sisterhood among women attending Eastern Connecticut State University by means of sponsoring and attending workshops, lectures, seminars, local and national conventions. FEMALES hopes to build the character of women, improve their self-esteem, and provide them with the necessary resources to empower themselves and achieve success in their future endeavors.

The Student Government Association (SGA) provides students with the opportunity to develop skills in democratic procedures. Students are elected to act as the governing body to address student concerns.

Eastern alumni mingled at a reception hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University's Office of Alumni Affairs on January 5. Graduates from New York City and surrounding towns gathered at Butterfield 8 on East 38th Street to socialize, network and reminisce.

It is the mission of People Helping People(PHP) to involve the students of Eastern Connecticut State University by directly engaging social issues which affect the local and global community while providing the opportunity to develop leadership and interpersonal skills.

Fourteen students from the Eastern Connecticut State University student chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) traveled to New York City on Nov. 11 and 12 to attend an advertising career conference. The students were accompanied by Olugbenga Ayeni, associate professor of communication. The Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) hosted the conference.

More than 800 Eastern Connecticut State University students attended the 16th annual University's C.O.P.S. (Community-Oriented Policing for Students) Open Rec Night on Dec. 2. The evening is a substance-free event hosted by Eastern's Police Department. Open Rec Night provides Eastern students with an evening of fun and a chance to unwind in a safe setting prior to final exams. A number of students who belong to various student clubs and on-campus groups provide support services at the event.

The Cultural Extravaganza at Eastern Connecticut State University on Dec. 2 was sponsored by Eastern's African Club, and was designed to showcase the cultures of Africa.

On Dec. 3 at the edge of Patriots Park, Eastern students plunged into the chilly waters of Coventry Lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. Students or "penguins" solicited donations from family, friends and local businesses in order to take the plunge.

Members of Eastern Connecticut State University's student chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) attended the AITP-Long Island Chapter 2011 Technology Showcase and Economic Forecast on Nov. 15.

Athletes from Eastern Connecticut State University's men's lacrosse team, women's soccer team, volleyball and softball teams, and numerous other Eastern organizations recently participated in the third annual Poverty Awareness Marathon. They supported Health and Physical Education Professor Charles Chatterton by collecting more than 600 nonperishable items to donate to a local food pantry in Willimantic.

Four students and two faculty members from Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Environmental Earth Science participated in the New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference (NEIGC) from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The annual meeting was held at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT.

Nineteen students from Eastern Connecticut State University took a field trip from Oct 21 to 24 to the White House, the U.S. Congress and the World Bank. The students enrolled in Professor Dennis Canterbury's Sociology of Globalization class attended the trip.

FEMALES (Females Excelling Maturing to Achieve Leadership, Excellence and Success), a women's leadership club at Eastern Connecticut State University, hosted its third annual "Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis" walk on Oct. 2. Proceeds benefited the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

Several local students are serving as resident assistants (RAs) at Eastern Connecticut State University this fall. Eastern has more than 70 RAs, students who are carefully selected and trained to help dormitory residents create an environment that is conducive to individual and social growth.

Ten Eastern Connecticut State University Students volunteered with the Math Mania Tutor Program. Eastern students and staff have completed their second year of the renowned and successful Math Mania camp.

A group of Eastern Connecticut State University students recently visited the country of Nepal along with Associate Professor of Psychology Carlos Escoto, Geeta Pfau, retired associate director of health services, as well as ITS trainer Barbara Williams.

The Eastern Connecticut State University Alumni Association Board of Directors has elected three new members to the board: Holly Butler of Groton, CT; Kate Fortier of Ashford, CT; and Paulette Haines of Marietta, GA. The three women were unanimously approved and will begin their first three-year terms at the board meeting on October 5. Butler, a 2008 graduate of Eastern, is a mental health worker with CarePlus in Groton. Fortier graduated in 2003 and is a community engagement director with Access Community Action Agency in Willimantic, while Haines is a 1994 graduate and the CEO/consultant for Creative Non-Profit Solutions, LLC. Members of the Eastern Connecticut State University Alumni Association Board of Directors are responsible for attending and actively participating in meetings of the Board in person or via teleconference. They are also encouraged to represent the Alumni Association at university events and activities and to engage fellow alumni to support university events through their attendance or through financial sponsorship. Board meetings are held quarterly on Eastern's campus. Eastern Connecticut State University is part of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) and is the state's public liberal arts university. Eastern serves more than 5,600 students each year on its Willimantic campus

The School of Arts and Sciences at Eastern Connecticut State University held its 10th Annual Student Research Conference and Exhibition on April 16. The conference took place in several locations across the campus, including the Science Building, Wood Support Services Center and the Student Center. More than 85 students supported by 35 faculty mentors presented nearly 80 projects and presentations showcasing 11 departments and 13 majors in the School of Arts and Sciences. The following students were among the exhibitors:

Eastern Connecticut State University has published "From Tutor to Tutor: A Guidebook for Writers," a book written by students under the leadership of Lauren Rosenberg, associate professor of English and coordinator of Eastern's First Year Writing program. The idea for the book came from student tutors in Rosenberg's Tutoring Writing class in fall 2009. The peer tutors in Eastern's Writing Center work one-on-one with fellow students on their writing assignments for class. While the student tutors received training during the course, the books and articles they read were all written by scholars and professors of composition and rhetoric. Nothing was available by students their age. They chose to do something about it. Throughout the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters, the tutor-trainees met with Rosenberg to plan, write and edit a guidebook by peers for peers. "Nothing like this is out there," said Rosenberg. "We didn't model our book after any other because there are no student-written works like this." "From Tutor to Tutor" is composed of 18 essays that range in topics from dealing with plagiarism to working with English as a Second Language students to handling unexpected experiences during tutoring sessions. Essays include "What to Do When You Have No Clue"; "Meeting with a Tutor for the aEUR~Write' Reasons: Why Voluntary Meetings Beat Mandatory Sessions"; and "Turning Stressful to Productive," among others. Each essay is written by a student trained in Writing Center theory and pedagogy in either Eastern's Tutoring Writing or Composition and Theory Pedagogy courses.

Members of Eastern Connecticut State University's community engagement student group, People Helping People (PHP), hosted an event to show their support for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq on Dec. 10 at Sweeney Elementary School in Willimantic.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Performing Arts Department and Drama Society presented the Freshman Showcase on Dec. 4 in the Harry Hope Theatre.

Wooden Vehicles and Traffic Signs, a basic toy created by Wilton, CT-based Melissa and Doug, LLC, has been named the 2010 best Toy to Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination (TIMPANI). The research results of the 2010 TIMPANI Toy Study were announced on Wednesday, Nov. 17, by faculty and student researchers at Eastern Connecticut State University's Center for Early Childhood Education (CECE).