By Kerri Klatt

Advertising Manager

Lorain County Community College’s Center for Teaching Excellence wants to bring awareness to the “One Book One Campus” project at the college. The Center for Teaching Excellence, CTE, wants to offer an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to create an enhanced awareness of equity throughout campus. The campus community must read the same book that is pre-selected and free for participants. CTE hopes that the reading experience can bring the LCCC community together. “My hope is that the book can provide an equity awareness on campus as well as in the community,” said Dr. Jewon Woo, Assistant Professor of English and Chair of CTE, “The goal of this project is to provide the LCCC community to feel the sense of a connection as well as mutual support.”

Participants of the project have one academic year to read the designated book and to participate in book discussion’s. Sign up with CTE to get a copy of the book as well as other information regarding the project. The “One Book, One Campus” project will include; CTE facilitated book discussion meetings, lesson plan suggestions for teaching, and open forums throughout the fall semester. For the upcoming spring semester, the project plans on organizing a student essay competition, a campus-wide conference, and a survey to decide the next book for the reading project for the following academic year.

The current book of choice, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by author Rebecca Skloot, is a book about ethics, race, and medicine. The book is a real storyline which tells the story of one woman and the generations of her family that follow. “We choose this book because it sheds light on the intersectionality of various social issues including race, class, bioethics, and education,” said Woo, “The book can compel the LCCC family to think of a bigger picture of our society from a marginalized group prospective.”

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” book discussions dates are: Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at 3p.m. in the I-Loft building room 113, and Wednesday, November 1, 2017 in the I-Loft building in room 113. The book discussions are to share your thoughts and experiences on the book. To register for the book discussions, visit the “One Book, One Campus” page on LCCC’s website.

More than 500 copies of the current book have been distributed to faculty members, 30 copies among staff and an estimated 62 copies were distributed to students. “I am inspired by other colleges’ success stories,” said Woo. Neighboring colleges are also active in campus-wide book readings similar to the One Book-One Campus project. “Many community colleges utilize this project to create the sense of community among students,” said Woo. Two Ohio universities that have similar reading programs are Case Western Reserve University and Bowling Green State University.