Holiday Reflections

We were thrilled that many of our students elected to travel to Washington D.C. this year. This class continues to amaze us with their thirst for American culture and even wanting to see the seat of our American Government. We like to encourage our students to see the diversity throughout the US and traveling over the holidays is a great way to see the differences in this great country. With this class, we are again seeing a newsletter from the students, which we haven’t seen in several years - you can view the latest newsletter by visiting https://grsp.org/blog/. The students are taking classes that will enrich their lives for many years. Most credits will not transfer, so the students are taking classes that they would not necessarily be able to take in their home countries. Because of this year, many students may decide to change their majors. Because of this year, many students will understand and appreciate not only American and Southern culture, but also cultures from around the world. This year will truly open their eyes and many of our host families and trustees will learn something new.

For those of us fortunate to have students that can cook, we were able to sample delicious treats during the holidays or learn to eat like a Sri Lankan. Our kitchens were filled with new smells and new tastes. Our holidays were looked at with fresh eyes (our own). Our families were also enlightened about the world around us. The Georgia Rotary Student Program has never been more relevant than it is today with misunderstandings from around the world about who we Americans are and what our motives are.

GRSP Student is Grand Marshall of Christmas Parade

Caroline Gränsbo, our GRSP newsletter editor and Paulding County Rotary Club GRSP student, was named Grand Marshall of Paulding County Rotary’s 27 ^th Annual Invitational Dallas Christmas Parade. The club estimates that approximately 20,000 to 23,000 residents attended the parade, which was held on December 7, 2019. The theme for the parade was “connecting the world”, so it was very appropriate that Caroline was asked to be Grand Marshall. She had a wonderful time and was a wonderful representative of GRSP and her home country of Sweden. Caroline is also sponsored by the Bremen Rotary Club, Carrollton DawnBreakers Rotary Club and Carrollton Rotary Club and is studying political science at the University of West Georgia.

GRSP Student Spearheads Philanthropy Targeting Students In Need … By Angela Smith

GRSPs Wilhelm Kielland and Martin Bech use event to build better friendships and benefit all concerned. Members of Georgia Southwestern State University's Interfraternity Council (IFC) recently collected over $1,250 worth of items for the Canes Harvest Food Pantry. Members of Sigma Chi, Kappa Sigma and Chi Phi gathered most of the donations from fellow students, who donated "flex cash" from their meal plans to the food drive. The idea for the project was the brainchild of Georgia Rotary Student Wilhelm Kielland of Norway who is attending GSW in Americus, GA. Kielland discovered that flex cash not used by the end of the term did not carry over, but instead, reset with each new semester. Many students have unused flex dollars on their cards and instead of losing it at the end of the semester, they had the opportunity to “donate” what was left to assist students who were less fortunate.

Once Kielland developed the idea, he sought advice and approval from faculty and administrators. The result became a collaborative effort of the IFC fraternities on campus and not only served to fulfill an ongoing need on campus, but also improved the relationship between the fraternities. Wilhelm (a Sigma Chi) and fellow GRSP Martin Bech of Denmark (a Kappa Sigma) determined to build better friendships between the fraternities and mend the relationships damaged in early fall. This joint event brought the fraternities together and got positive feedback from the students and campus leaders as well.

IFC members used the donated flex funds from students as well as faculty and staff to purchase non-perishable items from the Provisions On Demand (P.O.D.) convenience store on campus. Thanks to cooperation from Aramark Food Services (overseers of the P.O.D. market), the IFC purchased items at a reduced price for the drive. The Food Pantry, located on the third floor of the GSW Student Success Center, is open to all GSW students.

Items bought with the flex cash are pictured with representatives of the fraternities who sponsored the event. Also pictured are GRSP students Wilhelm Kielland (left) of Norway and Martin Bech (right) of Denmark. Wil is sponsored by the Albany, Dougherty and Blakely Rotary Clubs and Martin is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Americus.

Student Selection for Next Year

Once again we are plagued with the problems that GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which problems were compounded when we updated our website ( www.grsp.org). When our original agent was unable to pull the data together in time to get the books ready to print, GRSP management decided it would be best to just send out all information contained in the application to the clubs that had traditionally chosen a student. This meant that we had at least eight pages of information on each student. This has actually worked well for some of us, but for others, it will be a mountain of information to sift through. On top of that because of GDPR, we will not be able to retain the books for future reference. The fine for GDPR noncompliance could be as much as $20 Million, so it is important that we make every effort to comply with this regulation brought to us by the European Union.

We also have fewer applicants this year, although it does look like most of the applicants are serious, as it seems we have more that have taken their SATs and TOEFEL tests. It does seem that we are seeing students that seem to “get” the program maybe even more than ever before and this is a clear indicator from our point of view that they are more serious. We’d rather have fewer applicants that are serious.

The Rotary Club of Dunwoody once again will be selecting their student through the Pilot Program. Brookhaven and North Atlanta will also be selecting through the Pilot Program. The three clubs will be working with Oglethorpe University in the late spring and early summer to review applications of students that have already been accepted by the University. Unlike the GRSP guidelines for selection, these clubs will be able to contact the students they are considering to make a more enlightened decision.

GRSP Leadership Weekend

This student weekend takes place over the MLK holiday weekend at Oglethorpe University and is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Dunwoody, Gainesville, Buckhead, Metro Atlanta. North Atlanta and Brookhaven, along with the Rotaract Club of Atlanta . This is a particularly good weekend for students to learn how to make a difference in the world, build leadership skills and complete a community service project. The students will meet Friday afternoon at the Atlanta History Center. There will be no “down time” for the students as they are immersed in what Rotary means to the world. Some of our own Rotarians find this weekend of particular benefit to them and join in the activities. This year, the service project focuses on clean water.