Calvin's Eddie Wins Equity Award

November 21, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Full story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/eddie-equity-award.htm

A Calvin College staff member has earned the Equity in Higher Education Award
from the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
(MACRAO).

Jermale Eddie, the program coordinator for Calvin's multicultural student
development office, won the award for his work with the Tapestry Leadership
Program, an effort to integrate African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native
American (AHANA) students more fully into every facet of college life.

"This program is all about the students," Eddie said. "The only way to be
successful at meeting the needs of the students is to ask what they need, to
listen and to act."

Eddie, who received the award at a November 8 luncheon at the Amway Grand
Plaza Hotel during the MACRAO annual conference, came to Calvin in 2003. Since
that time, he has worked on developing Tapestry, which is funded by a Michigan
Select Student Support Services grant to increase the support and retention of
AHANA students.

Tapestry combines academic support, peer networks, mentoring opportunities,
leadership development experiences and goal-setting assistance to enable AHANA
students to have a well-rounded Calvin experience. Through Tapestry Eddie has
provided AHANA students with leadership retreats, opportunities to attend
conferences, Bible studies, seminars, lecture series and special dinners.

Eddie considers the Equity in Education award as an honor for everyone who has
worked in multicultural student development at Calvin.

"I feel like it’s a recognition that’s due to those who have come before
me, those who are here now and those who are to come— AHANA faculty staff and
students and their supporters—for their struggles, for their stresses, for
their success, for all that they have to go through while they’re the
minority populations. So, I would say it represents the AHANA legacy, so to
speak."

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Received on Wed Nov 21 12:08:52 2007