1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania mourns death of student participating in summer academic camp

LEXINGTON, KY.—The Fayette County Coroner’s office has confirmed this morning that a 13-year-old student attending an academic camp at Transylvania University has died. The student lost consciousness while participating in a recreational swim Monday evening. Two lifeguards and an assistant swim coach applied the available automated external defibrillator and performed CPR until emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene. The student was then transported to the University of Kentucky hospital. “In the midst of these tragic circumstances, our hearts go out to this young student’s family and friends, as well as the other students on our campus affected by this incident,” Transylvania President R. Owen Williams said. Williams, who was attending a conference out-of-state, is making arrangements to return to campus this afternoon.  The student was attending a week-long summer camp titled Introduction to Java Programming. That camp, as well as the College Preparation camp held on campus this week, has been canceled. The students have contacted their parents, who are making arrangements to pick up their children. Session 3 swim lessons, scheduled through Wednesday, July 2, have also been canceled, and the university pool in the William T. Young Campus Center will remain closed until further notice. Transylvania staff and administrators will continue to gather information about the incident and will release details as they are available.

Anderson appointed to community volunteerism commission

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Karen Anderson, coordinator of community service and civic engagement at Transylvania University, has been appointed to the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service by Gov. Steve Beshear. The 25-member commission was created in 1994 and serves as a conduit for funding supporting Kentucky AmeriCorps programs. Commission members review and recommend funding requests for service opportunities all around the state, a process Anderson has become very familiar with during her nearly 20 years at Transylvania. She was asked to apply by former commissioner Eileen Cackowski. “I’m grateful she asked me,” Anderson said. “I think being a commissioner will be a natural part of what I’m already doing at Transylvania. Commissioners go out and see what’s going on and represent our commonwealth and our government, and I’ve been doing that as part of my job for years. So I’ll be able to keep getting out and connecting, not just for Transylvania, but on behalf of our commonwealth.” AmeriCorps is a national program that works to place people in full-time service opportunities in exchange for a living stipend. Opportunities include mentoring and tutoring in Kentucky schools, working with homelessness prevention and providing in-home services to seniors with disabilities. Part of Anderson’s time as commissioner will be spent organizing the 20th anniversary of the program, which will take place around the National Day of Service Sept. 11. “Here in Kentucky we’ll be using that opportunity for the swearing in of our new

Transylvania hosting annual Patriotic Concert July 3

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Keeping a  longstanding, locally-beloved tradition alive, Transylvania University will again host the annual Patriotic Concert on the Old Morrison lawn Thursday, July 3, at 8 p.m. The free concert draws around 5,000 people to campus each year to spread out blankets, bring a picnic dinner and enjoy music celebrating America’s heritage. Complementing the city’s Fourth of July Festival’s theme of “Celebrating Heroes,” this year’s music will be performed by the 202nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard. University of Kentucky professor and director of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre Dr. Everett McCorvey will direct the singers, and Dixieland jazz band Young at Heart will perform in Gratz Park before the concert. “It’s a wonderful evening,” Renee Jackson, president of the Downtown Lexington Corporation, said. “With the ‘Celebrating Heroes’ theme and the 202nd Army Band performing, it will be a real treat. If you haven’t attended one, it is definitely worth coming downtown and experiencing.” Jackson said that especially with this summer being the 70th anniversary of D-Day, this year’s event will be “extra special.” Free parking is available in the university’s general lots. Guests are encouraged to bring their own dinners, and food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event. Alcohol is prohibited. “With the rich history of Transylvania, it just makes it all the more special to be able to use the steps of Old Morrison and have that as the backdrop,” Jackson

Transylvania graduate wins national sustainability contest

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Browning Smith, a 2014 graduate of Transylvania University from Russellville, Ky., has won a national sustainability contest sponsored by dining service provider Sodexo. As part of his prize, Sodexo donated $2,500 to Seedleaf—a Lexington-based non-profit committed to increasing the amount, affordability, nutritional value, and sustainability of food available to people at risk of hunger in central Kentucky—which Smith chose as his favorite local charity. The “Send Ur Message” contest was part of a national campaign inspired by Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Plan, which promotes global sustainability. Smith, a biology major, was selected after filling out a survey about what he felt Sodexo could do to improve its food service when it comes to sustainability. He and three other winners received a $250 Visa gift card along with the $2,500 each winner donated to the food-based charity of his choice. After taking an interdisciplinary course at Transylvania that focused on the philosophy and sociology of gardening as well as hands-on learning about soil science and composting, Smith then volunteered with Seedleaf. The organization was a logical choice to receive his check. “I knew they were doing great things in the community right down the street,” Smith said. “They’re the other end of the food industry, where Sodexo is the larger, more industrial side, and the food system needs to be changed from both ends.” Seedleaf has partnered with Transylvania and Sodexo for three years, picking up the pre-consumer waste from the

Tickets still available for Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Classic June 13

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Tickets are still available for the Kentucky Lions All-Star Classic Friday, June 13, in the Clive M. Beck Center at Transylvania University. They can be purchased ahead of game day at www.kyallstars.net or at the door beginning at 4:30 p.m. Bench seating is $20 and chair-back seating is $30. Tip-off for the girls’ game is at 5:30 p.m., and the boys play at 8 p.m. The event, which has been held since 1940, pits the best high school senior basketball players from Kentucky and Indiana against each other in an annual matchup that raises money for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation. The current agreement will keep the game at Transylvania for three years, the first time it has been held in Lexington since 1996. Lexington’s WKYT-TV will broadcast the event live on the CW Network in Lexington and WYMT in Hazard, Ky., along with WKYT affiliates across the state. “It’s going to be a really great event,” Director of Athletics Holly Sheilley said. “Any time we can showcase not only Transylvania, but our city, I get excited.” The game will have an especially Bluegrass flavor this year, as three of the four players of the year on the teams have committed to play college basketball in Kentucky. Kentucky Mr. Basketball Quentin Snider from Ballard High School signed with the University of Louisville; Indiana Mr. Basketball Trey Lyles of Indianapolis Tech will attend the University of Kentucky; and Kentucky Miss