Leader ‘Views: Kaytee Lozier, Hofstra University

October 5th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Over the summer, ONE’s team of interns called up some of last year’s Campus Leaders to talk about their ideas, experiences and advice. We’re sharing excerpts from these interviews here in the hope that these will inspire and motivate you in the 2009-10 season.

-Emily

What challenges did you face as you were starting your ONE group?

Since Hofstra is such a big campus, the hardest part of starting our ONE chapter was getting the word out to all of the students and getting them interested in coming out to our meetings. Also, our school was very activism-oriented already so a lot of the people who were interested in our group already had meetings at the same time for clubs like Progressive Students Union. It was difficult to tailor to everyone’s schedule.

How did you use your individual strengths/demographic to reach out to others, form your group or complete a particular action?

I found that the best way to get people interested in our club when we were facing these challenges was through personal interaction. I would walk up to a table in the student center and tell students what our group was all about and ask them to sign up for the OCC. People are more likely to listen to a person than take the time to read a flier.

What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started leading a group on their campus?

My best advice would be to always keep it fun. We have to remember that we are trying to change the world in a positive way, and focusing on that positive change is so important. We need to know the facts about global poverty in order to fight it, and sometimes the facts can be depressing, and people try to avoid things that are upsetting. So if you keep your focus on how their help will do GOOD in this world, people will become more engaged and excited about your cause.

How did you deal with bureaucracy at your school?

This was one of our toughest challenges once we became an established group on campus. Unfortunately our school can be quite unorganized when it comes to events management, so for most events we held there would be some last minute complication like Events Management giving the same space at the same time to two different clubs. We were also limited in what we could actually do in terms of creativity because there is a lot of red tape at Hofstra. If your school gives you a lot of freedom, I would recommend getting as creative as possible and putting up large displays that will attract students. If your school is similar to mine where there are a lot of borders you must stay within, do your best to get the administration on your side and get as creative as you are allowed.

Why do you think it is important for students to start these groups?

College students should recognize what a powerful voice they have when they come together to accomplish something. Campuses are a great setting to educate a large group of people who will potentially go on to make big changes in the world. There are numerous opportunities for activism on a college campus so it is a great place to start a group like ONE.

Did you have any school funds to work with? If yes, how did you face any challenges with restrictions on those funds? In not, how did you deal with not having funds?

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Who Won the Campus Challenge

April 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

All of the schools put together some amazing final projects, but after counting all the legitimate votes, and calculating the judges’ scores, Western Kentucky emerged as our winner.The final vote total was:

Each of the judges ranked the projects from 1-10 (1 being the best), so a smaller sum total correlates to a better ranking. Their cumulative scores were:

Additionally, here is what the judges had to say about the projects (in no particular order):

Hofstra did a good job showing the struggles 1 billion people face on a daily basis around the world. Oftentimes it is easier for people to be impacted by a visual rather than a statistic – Great job showing everything from living conditions to limited food resources.

Western Kentucky showed hustle and energy and engaged the entire community which was impressive. Western Kentucky was savvy and the fact that they were able to get, for example, 160 people to send letters in support of the Education For All Act, showed a lot of tangible advocacy.

Kansas State did a great job reaching out to local media to spread more awareness.

The vigil was very powerful visual.

Campbellsville did a great job participating in a variety events that would reach different audiences. It is amazing how many activities you were able to host and be a part of. I hope the ONE group will continue to be involved in the campus and Campbellsville communities.

The fact that the UNLV students understood it was important both to praise a Senator supporting them and to push a Senator who was not was good, smart lobbying. Also, we can’t beat poverty on our own, and you did the best job of pulling other groups into the fight against poverty and got them to use their specific skills and interests to further the cause.

Brandeis – I loved the theme. The catchy theme was a great way to get people’s attention.

GWU did a great job demonstrating how cheap medications are for treatable diseases, it is important for people to understand something tangible like the cost of a pill. The petition delivery was the type of stunt that gets attention and sticks in people’s memories. Grade A advocacy right there.

Princeton did an amazing job inundating the campus with ONE materials the night before your campus event. I am glad you were able to make students comfortable enough to call their congressional members.

Wilmington – Engaging the local community is crucial. Hopefully you can start to build a sustainable group that bridges the campus and the community.

SHU did a great job with the playground and it was inspiring how they all were able to connect the local community to the greater global problem.

Praise

April 4th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

You know what is ridiculous? The complete lack of confidence in the amazing projects ALL of the top 10 schools did. I know the vast majority of these schools don’t even *want* the concert – that all came secondary to actually making a difference. It’s not about getting a free musical performance – it’s about making a difference in the world. Everyone needs to take a step back from voting, stop pointing fingers, and realize that *this* is how we got into the situation our world is in to begin with.

Those involved with ONE stand for eliminating extreme poverty and disease worldwide. Why don’t we all look and see what POSITIVE things we can say about the schools in the top ten? Try not to compliment your own school – we already know that YOU love their project.

For one, I LOVED George Washington’s use of the “Fresh African Water” in their final video submission. It was awesome – definitly got the message across. Western Kentucky’s breakdown of all the Millennium Development Goals was incredible as well – super effective. Hofstra is helping to educate children in Kenya – I’d say that’s a worthy cause. Campellsville, Kansas State, and Brandeis all had incredible awareness events as well. Wilmington College’s aspects of planning for their project in itself is daunting.

Post something here so long as you’ve got a positive thing to say. Anyone think of a project that no one did? Anything super creative? Let’s keep it going with some positive reinforcement here…

The Top 10

February 20th, 2008 at 11:17 am

After almost 5 months of open competition, we’re now narrowing the competition down to the top ten schools:

1. Sacred Heart University
2. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
3. Brandeis University
4. Western Kentucky University
5. Princeton University
6. Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio
7. Kansas State University
8. George Washington University
9. Hofstra University
10. Campbellsville University

Each school will receive a $1,000 grant to create their own poverty advocacy program.

Thank you all for waiting patiently while we processed points. We know that the leader board might shift around a little, but at the point that we cut off the competition (Monday) these were the schools that made the cut for the final 10.

This doesn’t mean that the competition is over for everyone else. If you didn’t make the top ten, you can still create you very own advocacy project and submit it for a chance at a “wild card” spot. In late March when we all vote for the final winner, we’ll include the wild card entry in with the top 10 schools for voting.

Though the competition of the Campus Challenge is narrowing, the larger competition against extreme poverty is far from over. We’ve got lots of work to do, and it is crucial that we all continue to do the work we have done during the campus challenge, even if the fun and games are coming to a close.

What’s An ROA Part XI: Kaytee

February 6th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Whoa! Bet you didn’t think that there would be any more ROA’s for you to meet here on the OCC Blog after last semester when we profiled 10 of the regional outreach ambassadors.  But now, at long last, is the final installation in the series: Kaytee, the new ROA from Hofstra.

Hey guys, my name is Kaytee Lozier and I’m the new ROA for Maryland, West Virginia, and D.C. I’m a junior Print Journalism major at Hofstra University and I am co-president of the ONE Hofstra Chapter. I’m originally from New Milford CT, and before that I lived in Fontana CA.

Until I began college I never really paid attention to politics. I didn’t feel personally attached to it in any way because I didn’t feel that I played much of a role in our political process. I have always been interested in international affairs and the state of third world countries, and I had done some volunteering for Invisible Children, but I have always felt there wasn’t much I could do about the state of the world in general.  That was before I happened to find the ONE Campaign last summer. I realized that this could be the perfect opportunity to make a difference with a stronger voice, the voice of 2 million others who feel as passionate about these issues as I do.

Once I became involved with the ONE Campaign, the Campus Challenge was the perfect way to rev my engine. Finally I had a way to reach out to people and make this movement grow! After the Power 100 summit, I feel more prepared than ever to unite Hofstra students under this cause. If you go to school in any of my regions and you want to start a chapter at your school, please contact me and I’ll help you get started!

Aside from battling extreme poverty, I like to play tennis, play video games, and.. actually battling extreme poverty is pretty much my favorite thing to do nowadays, with Guitar Hero as a close second!

Pride is Proud of Pics

November 21st, 2007 at 4:35 pm

When it comes to voting contests, no one wins ‘em like Hoftra.  The Pride just nabbed their second photo-of-the-week award with a couple hundred votes for their mascots in ONE gear.

Awareness Challenge Runner-up 1

November 20th, 2007 at 2:34 pm

This is probably one of the coolest videos that has been submitted to the ONE Campus Challenge, but it wasn’t quite enough to win last week’s challenge (issue awareness).

What you’re looking at is the student section at a Hofstra basketball game.  It is a pretty impressive stunt, but we felt that it didn’t quite illustrate extreme poverty as clearly as Winthrop’s flag display.  Still, it’s good for 2,500 points.

Countin’ the Calls

November 6th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

At long last we processed the points for all the phone calls that you guys made asking your members of Congress to support the Jubilee Act backing mid-October, and they have really spiced things up.

Campbellsville University jumped 30,000 points, while Hofstra and College of Charleston only made 5,000 and 8,000 points respectively, making the race for the top that much closer.

But more importantly, these phone calls really are one of the best ways to help push crucial pieces of poverty-fighting legislation through Congress. Campbellsville’s 30,000 points shows that they are not just organized, but that they are actually effective anti-poverty advocates. Way to go guys!

Puppy P0wns Picture Poll

October 31st, 2007 at 10:22 am

Dylan the ONE dog just won the photo of the week by popular vote, garnering 10,000 points for Hofstra University.

We made the regular weekly photo contest the weekly challenge this last week, and when we couldn’t decide which photo deserved the grand prize we opened it up voting. Due in part to massive get out the vote operation by Hofstra, Dylan was able to walk away with a solid 42% of the vote.

Next week’s challenge: create the best ONE video!