Dance celebration marks end of reading campaign

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Claudia Perez (from left), Brittany Vernon and Hannah Martin dance at the RU READS Multicultural Dance Celebration.

Radford University's 2014-15 RU READS: One Campus, Many Voices campaign concluded last week, but the literary celebration promises to continue year round.

Students and staff gathered in the Hurlburt Student Center on April 10 for the inaugural Multicultural Dance Celebration to honor the many participants and sponsors who made the effort a success.

The reading campaign encouraged members of the campus community to share a story that aided in their understanding of race, gender, nationality, ethnic group, abilities and disabilities, religion, geographic origin or sexual orientation.

Twenty-six participants were chosen from a pool of essay entries collected during the fall semester. They included RU students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty and staff. Each person was featured on a poster displayed with their chosen book and a sentence on how the particular text had made a lasting impression. The posters were displayed throughout campus this semester. Participants were also featured in a short video in which they talked about their book.

The final RU READS celebration featured free food and drinks. DJ Craig Arthur, who is also an RU instruction librarian, provided the tunes to which many danced.

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Megan Pittman with her RU READS poster.

Among the event attendees was Megan Pittman, a RU READS participant. Pittman and the other RU READers were presented their posters.

She already had a spot picked out for hers'.

"It's going in my bedroom," Pittman said.

Every participant was also entered to win a new iPad. Geniece Sambota was the lucky recipient. Sambota said she was excited to win and share the inspiration she gained from her chosen book. Seeing her face displayed across campus, "put a smile on my face," she said.

"You have no idea what a difference that made," Sambota said.

RU READS is sponsored by McConnell Library, R-SPaCE, the Office of the Provost and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

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Steve Helm (from left), Alan Brainard, Anthony Kaseoru, Lisa Dinkle and Bethany Mott.

Apr 15, 2015