Even though Dr. Chrisanne Christensen\u2019s social psychology class project was months in the making, they were sure they had a unique idea. Their hard work paid off.<\/p>\n
The group started a Campus Action Day, which included students in the class using the Reynolds plaza and SAU mall area to inform the campus community about ONE\u2019s mission of ending world poverty on April 15, 2013. Students carried large signs and took to the sidewalks to inform others in the campus community about how their signatures could help solve issues related to global poverty. Their tactics were so successful that they had to print additional sheets for signees as their goal of 150 signatures was quickly surpassed to nearly double their goal with a total of almost 300.<\/p>\n
Christensen said that the signature sheets will soon be mailed off to ONE. Once received, the organization will add the citizens to the global database. When representatives are considering legislation for global aide funding, ONE uses its database to mail lists of signees to their respective representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI referred to this group of students as my \u2018small but might social psychology class\u2019 because they all worked so hard toward our goals, but they also learned so much about empathy, social responsibility and themselves,\u201d said Christensen. \u201cMany of them said they had never participated in a project like this before, and because of this project they feel like they need to do something more.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the group members learned that less than 1% of the U.S. budget is used for international aide, it spurred several of them to hand-write letters to their legislatures. This action was recommended by ONE during a Skype meeting earlier in the semester.<\/p>\n
Christensen said she meeting President and CEO of ONE Michael Elliot in 2012 at the Clinton School of Public Service inspired her to base her next social psychology class on helping this cause. She spent around several months preparing before the first day of the spring semester, using Liberal Education for America\u2019s Promise (LEAP) as a cornerstone to design the class, which includes learning outcomes, high-impact educational practices, authentic assessments and inclusive excellence.<\/p>\n
This was a group effort, according to Christensen, who was impressed not only by the representatives at ONE and her students, but also by others such as SAU Communication Design student Kody Kasper, who helped with the graphic design needs of the project. Her collaboration with Christensen and the social psychology student helped the group build a professional portfolio and the psych students had a great time learning more about design, said Christensen.<\/p>\n\n\t\t