UNH Parents Association announces spring grant awards
 
By Denise Hart, Media Relations

The UNH Parents Association recently announced grant awards for spring 2005 totaling $148,499 for UNH-based projects and programs through the Parents Fund. The group works to enhance relationships between the university community, students and the parents and guardians of UNH students through informational publications, special events and raising funds to support UNH.

“We are very pleased to demonstrate the caring and support of UNH parents and guardians through gifts designed to enrich the academic experience for all students,” says Janet Cass, director of the Parents Association.

The Parents Association seeks grant proposals that benefit the widest range of students and often collaborate with other groups offering matching funds to achieve a program goal.

The awards for this semester include:

$8,509 - UNH Judicial and Mediation Programs Office to support the development and production of a Alcohol and Drug Awareness video to be shown primarily to first year students and their parents and eventually all undergraduates of UNH. The UNH Police, Durham Police, Student Senate, Residential Life and the Durham District Court endorse this project.

$28,750 - Thompson School of Applied Science to purchase a 15 passenger Activity Bus to replace an old, low capacity van. This new Activity Bus will be used to serve approximately 450 Thompson School students, involved in 13 specializations in 7 curricula, who are involved in field lab trips and activities off campus on a daily basis, and for extended trips.

$10,000 - Department of English to support the UNH Writers Series, a two-year program focused on writers of color coming to UNH to give public presentations and spend time with students in classes discussing their work and perspectives.

$14,500 - UNH Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas for trail improvement projects including College Woods and East & West Foss Trails. Improvements will allow for more campus community recreational usage and greater access for people with disabilities.

$2,600 - UNH Choral/Music Department to purchase a new digital harpsichord to support the activities of the UNH Concert Choir, Chamber Singers & vocal soloists. The new amplifiable harpsichord will allow all the choral groups to perform in a variety of venues on campus and off and will provide greater flexibility for the chorus.

$9,326 - Center for Academic Resources (CFAR) to replace 6 desktop computers, a printer and a scanner in their student computer cluster to broaden the center’s free technology support for students in utilizing Blackboard, the Dimond Library electronic data bases and the Internet for academic purposes.

$3,145 - American Cancer Society Relay for Life student-led committee to support the purchase of necessary equipment to put on the 24-hour fundraising event. The awarded funds will allow the committee to purchase small tents, tables, water cooler and sound equipment that were previously rented. This equipment will be made available to other students groups.

$3,000 - Native American Cultural Association (NACA) and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) to support the revival of the UNH Native American Powwow on the UNH campus in September 2005. The Powwow supports the fostering of diversity on the UNH campus and also enhances class curricula in various departments.

$8,335 - Departments of the Life Sciences, a interdepartmental group, to purchase Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Electrophoresis laboratory equipment to enhance the training of undergraduate students taking laboratory courses in the Biological Sciences. This state-of-the-art equipment will give UNH students in the biosciences experience current industry standard equipment for career and professional advancement.

$5,040 - First-Year English Composition Program, Office of Multicultural Students Affairs & First Year Programs to assist in the continuance of the Intergroup Dialogue project. This will offer expanded sections of the small group dialogue English 401 options, offering students discussions of their own worldview and the opportunity to develop a more complex understanding of diversity and social justice through participation in experiential activities, individual and small group dialogues.

$2,764 - UNH Men’s Crew team to assist in the purchase of a new chase launch. The new launch will replace a 20-year old boat. This funding complements successful fundraising efforts by the team and additional donated funds from a local community rowing club, which also uses this launch.

$3,000 - “Book It To Nigeria” Project conducted by UNH students enrolled in History 422. This service-learning project conducts a book drive to collect books for the University of Obafemi Awolowo in Ile Ife, Nigeria. This project will provide students with an opportunity to learn more about the scarcity of resources in developing countries and real-life lessons of how to make concrete contributions to international situations.

$15,990 - UNH Cooperative Extension program to support its purchase of two Global Positioning System Receivers to allow undergraduate students to be involved in “hands-on” community issue problem solving team projects using state-of-the-art equipment. These projects will include inventory, mapping and analysis of natural resources, and the development of water and land management plans.

$4,540 - UNH Fencing Club to purchase wheelchair fencing scoring machines and reels which will allow members of the team with disabilities to fence and become involved in fencing tournaments. This equipment will also allow every member of the team to experience wheelchair fencing and allow the team to host wheelchair fencing tournaments.

$25,000 - UNH Campus Recreation to construct a bouldering cave for ropeless indoor climbing at the Hamel Recreation Center. This custom cave will provide a state-of-the-art climbing facility for all users of the campus recreation facility.

$4,000 - Alternative Break Challenge (ABC) program. This funding will help to provide rental vans for student transportation to the ABC sites during spring break. UNH students went to 13 different sites this year, providing hands on assistance to Habitat for Humanity programs, after school programs for underprivileged youths and other community service projects across the country.

For more information on the UNH Parents Association and their grant programs, please visit http://www.unh.edu/parents.