Building Trust

The Liberal Arts and Management Program held its annual Sophomore Leadership Retreat Sunday, but this year, despite its name, sophomores were not the only ones to participate.\nThe event had previously been led by an outside team, but now LAMP's own advisory board is responsible for the facilitation of the retreat, said Assistant Director Jane Rogan. She said she hopes the new set up will allow sophomores to become better acquainted with the older students in the program who comprise the advisory board. \nThe retreat, which was held at the Belmount Girl Scout Camp, was a chance for students to get to know each other better and also provides an opportunity to learn important skills, Program Director Tim Tilton said.\nThe retreat began with a session on communication, led by Rogan and Professor Gladys DeVane of the Kelley School of Business. Students put together personal profiles in an effort to find out what his or her communication style is. \n"The retreat focuses on communication and how to deal with different types of people," Tilton said. "These skills are valuable for people now and for the rest of their lives." \nAfter the communication session, students were placed in small groups and asked to perform a number of team-oriented tasks. \nJunior Laura Meyer, who attended the retreat last year, laughed as she recalled trying to balance a hula-hoop with eight other people using only their fingertips. \n"You do team-building activities. And it seems kind of cheesy, but it's really fun," Meyer said. "You really have to analyze what you are doing, though." \nActivities this year included name games and the "human knot," where students held hands with their group and then had to work together to untangle themselves from the "knot" their arms formed. Tilton said these activities were a good example of how the program functions as a whole, and the importance of "learning by doing."\nSenior Annie Zell, member of the Student Advisory Board, was one of the people in charge of leading the retreat. \n"I thought it was nice that the Student Advisory Board led the retreat because now the sophomores know one or two older members pretty well," Zell said. \nZell added that having the SAB lead the activities was better because they were more familiar with LAMP, its goals and what it was like to be a sophomore participating in the retreat.\nSophomore Caitlin Tegart said having other LAMP students participate was a good idea. \n"I liked the fact that the older students ran the retreat because it showed that they care about other LAMP students," she said. \nRogan said she was pleased with the results of the change. \n"We will definitely organize the retreat this way in the future," Rogan said. \nAlong with leading the retreat, LAMP's Student Advisory Board is also responsible for planning other extracurricular events. \n"We help organize events and throw around ideas for what we want to see happen," Zell said.\nLAMP students have a mentor program, which matches a senior with younger students who have the same major. They also started a new program in which they plan to bring a series of speakers on race and gender to the University. \nIU faculty members Lou Miller, Jim Ackerman and Joe Waldman created LAMP 15 years ago in an effort to allow students to combine any major in the College of Arts and Sciences with specialized training in business. \nStudents take classes in accounting, economics and management along with the required courses for their COAS major. There are also three required seminars, one each year. \n"These seminars kind of bridge the gap between business and our liberal arts classes," Meyer said. The result of the program is a certificate in both liberal arts and management. \nOriginally, LAMP accepted only 25 students per year, but now the number has grown to approximately 100. Qualifications for acceptance into the program include a GPA of 3.0 and the completion of several essays. \nThose involved in the selection process said they are looking for more than just intelligence; they want students who are actively engaged in extracurricular activities and leadership roles. \nTilton said one of the major benefits the program offers is that it "provides a little community within a large university." \nBut they all agree the biggest benefit students receive from the program is a unique education that will allow them greater opportunities in the future. After being involved in the LAMP program for two years, Meyer said she is confident she made the right decision.\n"I love it," Meyer said. "It's been really useful, and I feel like a more well-rounded person because of it"