Tulane University - Jambalaya Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

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Mudents whom ihey were compatible with t)ut also to inslrurl the volunteers on how to create an atmosphere conducive to learning. Some of the training techniques used included getting the volunteer to understand hrjw the children he or she worked with felt about having a tutor, antJ how the tutor could help create a personal understanding so that the children ' s individual diffir ullies with schrjol work could he belter dealt with; In addition, Midge assignee] one CAC TUS volunteer to head the other volunteers at six elemen- lary schools. This helped tf keep the forty-plus volunteers rnreresler), and reduced the growth of problems peculiar locachs hofjl. While riemenldry School Volunteers (expanded in the schools ' metropcjiilan area, Environmental Action inc reascKJ its activity on campus. Chaired liy Nancy Sher- man, this projec t was able lo set up a workable recycling c enter behind the Phoenix Playhouse. This was a step for- ward in making lulane siudents hei om( aware of the n ' C( to re( y( lc glass, aliirniiniiii, ,iiid paper. CACTUS vol unleers worked on the enter last summer, cleaning uf) the area, painting sij ns ,in i negotiating )grf ( m( nls with ( om- panics tfi.il would !(•( yc le (he oilcc led iii.ilcrial. Orf ttni dtioiis 243

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Blair Brown — Chairman Sue Cerone — Vice Chairperson — Community Charlotte Maloney — Vice Chairperson — Campus Gideon Stanton — Executive Director Shelly Schubach — Director ' s Assistant Chris Austin Linda Clark Norma Decker Jodyanne Faber lohn Frazier Tim Fulton Nancy Cajewski Hillary Ginsberg leff FHackman Geoff Kasher Rudy Keel Peter Klebanow Kim Kronzer Midge La Porte Steve Maginas Michelle May Amy Moscowilz lennie Mulvihill laime Murphy Alice Oppenheim JoeSamocha Eric Scher Nancy Sherman Raquel Shpilberg Peter Sloterdijk luan Zuniga The 1977-78 year contained many changes for CACTUS not only in the individual projects, but also in the way peo- ple perceive CACTUS as an organization. Some individual projects grew and expanded their interests, and this growth caused changes in the way the whole organization operates. Of the fourteen projects, the fastest growing project was a new one. Elementary School Volunteers. It was first cre- ated to help channel Tulane students interested in Elemen- tary education into a real learning experience, where they go to public schools and help teach children. These volun- teers worked with any type of elementary student who needed help. They worked with deaf students, slow lear- ners, fast learners, and even had two Vietnamese students. The Orleans Parish schools which are severely under- funded with a high student teacher ratio, sometimes have to bypass the particular needs of individual students. There was a great need for the Elementary School Volunteers so the CACTUS board decided to make it a full-fledged pro- ject, expanding it from just a placement service for Tulane students. Midge LaPorte was elected chairperson. One of the pro- ject ' s pressing needs was organizational structure. Tulane students who volunteered didn ' t work together in groups, but rather with individual elementary students. Midge not only had to find a way to place volunteers with elementary 242 Organizations

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The students in Environmental Action also confronted environmental issues on a larger scale. When LP L announced the construction of a nuclear power plant only twenty-five miles upriver from New Orleans, volunteers decided to sponsor a speaker ' s forum, in order that all Tulane students could hear both sides of the nuclear energy debate. First, they heard Sam Lovejoy, an anti- nuclear power activist who had distinguished himself by knocking down a four hundred foot weather tower erected by a northern nuclear power utility to check on the spread of nuclear debris in case of an accident. They also invited speakers from Louisiana Power and Light Company to present a defense of the construction of the power plant. After hearing both sides of the argument, the Envi- ronmental Action volunteers chose to oppose the con- siniction of the power plant in Taft, La. They began attend- ing anti-nuke ' protests and events throughout the area. The last one was on April 31, at the sight of the power plant. One of the more enlightening activities earlier this year, was a balloon release at the sight of the power plant. This gave volunteers a chance to see where radiation would be carried by prevailing winds in the event of a serious acci- dent at the proposed power plant. Of the 1,000 balloons released, volunteers in Environmental Action and other anti-nuke groups recovered seventh, all within the New Orleans area. After being unofficially involved in anti-nuke activities, the students in Environmental Action decided to officially join the Oystershell Alliance, a confederation of local groups opposed to the construction of the nuclear power plant in Taft. To officially join, Nancy brought the question before the CACTUS board, composed of the chairpersons of each of the fourteen projects. There was some discus- 244 Organizations