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Printer-Friendly ModeHISO hosts 'Road Rage' on campus
April 24, 2006 —
Nearly 70 SVSU students, teachers, and community members participated in Saturday's Hispanic Interest Student Organization-sponsored Road Rage 5K Run/Walk around campus.
One group that participated individually in the event was organized by music professor Jane Girdham. She e-mailed her music students and printed up shirts that said "Musician on the Move" to get them involved.
"It sounded like a good way to get us moving and doing more around campus," Girdham said.
Although most Road Rage participants did not engage in as much preparation as Girdham's team, they were all there to support the idea of positive campus and community involvement.
"This is fun, and I'm proud of my cousin for doing this," said individual runner Dominic Sevilla, the 10-year-old cousin of Mario Cornejo, the organizer of the event.
Cornejo, a junior who runs for the SVSU track team, began planning the event two months ago with the rest of the newly established HISO.
"They used to host Road Rages at SVSU, but they haven't been done here in a long time," Cornejo said. "I just think they're a good way for people to get involved."
HISO fund-raised and solicited support from TCF Bank, Runners Performance Footwear and Apparel, the Guitar Center, Kokomos, Meyer's Saginaw Florist, Target, the Scrapbook Peddler, and La Estrella Del Norte to make the event possible.
Additionally, student Raul Verdusco provided free DJ services throughout the event.
"We just asked for help," Cornejo said. "Luckily, people were willing to help us."
Cornejo believes that this and future Road Rage events will promote awareness of HISO, which he helped found in January thanks to the mentorship of John Flores, assistant director of Minority Student Services.
"I happened to walk upon some Hispanic event on campus last year," Cornejo said. "So, I said to John, 'I didn't know there was a Hispanic group on campus.' And he said, 'There isn't one. You wanna start one?'"
Cornejo decided to run with the idea. He researched numerous Hispanic groups from other universities and eventually helped write the proposal to the University to make HISO a registered student organization.
"There hadn't been a Hispanic group on campus for some time before this one," Cornejo said. "This Road Rage event will hopefully keep HISO together. It will give the members something to keep going even after I'm gone."
Other than Road Rage events, HISO is interested in the education and guidance of middle school and high school students. The organization has plans to tutor and speak to classes about the importance of staying in school.
"We're going to try to focus on education," Cornejo said. "We think it's important that these kids have other people to advise them besides their teachers. Students listen to other students more than they listen to adults."
Approximately 50 students are currently members of HISO online on Facebook.
"Anybody's more than welcome to join," Cornejo said. "You don't even have to be Hispanic."
For more information on HISO, contact Cornejo at macornej@svsu.edu.