Columbus Standard

Indiana University-East recently issued the following announcement.

Red Wolves are flourishing as the team mascot at Indiana University East.

But they aren’t in nature. In fact, they are on the brink of extinction with only 35 or fewer believed to be in the wild. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies them as critically endangered.

The plight of the red wolf was the subject of a discussion a few years ago between Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, professor of English, and two pre-veterinary students. At the time, Clapp-Itnyre was the Honors Program director teaching a course in the program and she brought up the topic.

That discussion started the metamorphosis for a new club on campus, one that emphasizes protecting animals and the environment, especially focusing on the IU East mascot, the real Red Wolves.

“They put up the idea of starting a club, and I wanted to support them,” recalls Clapp-Itnyre, who is a self-described passionate environmentalist and animal lover.

Clapp-Itnyre has taught at IU East since 1999 and established the Humanities Club soon after. She also helped establish the Honors Program in 2005. In both capacities, she has enjoyed helping organize popular club trips to events around the state and region, like a biannual trip to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival which she has led since 2002.

The Animals and Earth Club was another opportunity for student engagement.

So, the Animals and Earth Club was born in the spring semester of 2019.

“There are some neat possibilities of bringing the two topics together,” Clapp-Itnyre said, citing an example of the connection between bird populations and climate change.

More than 100 students expressed interest in joining the club when an information booth was set up on campus in January 2019.

A slate of officers was appointed, and the new club soon celebrated Earth Week with a series of booths. The members set up a table and put out recipes to celebrate Meatless Monday, Tree Tuesday, etc. They made a trip in fall of 2019 to the Wolf Creek Habitat, a rescue and educational center in Brookville, Indiana.

But the club’s momentum has been slowed by nature. Simply put, Clapp-Itnyre said, “COVID hit. The university shut down (in spring 2020) and the officers graduated.”

After a year-and-a-half hiatus, the club returned in fall 2021 with a new group of leaders and new schedule of activities. The club added two more co-advisers Aaron Comstock, assistant professor of anthropology, and Sam Krerowicz, a visiting lecturer in chemistry.

The Club organized an Animal Wel-FAIR and invited animal welfare organizations to campus in September to set up booths and offer information about taking better care of animals.

Student members organized food boxes and volunteered at Help the Animals in Richmond. They participated in IU East’s first-ever Climate March with the campus’ Young Democrats.

In fact, five club officers joined Clapp-Itnyre last November to take part in the Environmental Educational Association of Indiana’s annual conference at Spring Mills State Park. Animals and Earth Club officers certainly enjoyed the fall trip that received funding from Executive Vice-Chancellor Michelle Mallott and the IU East Office of Sustainability.

Clapp-Itnyre added the club was the first from the Indiana University system to join the EEAI and take part in the annual event. “It was a great experience, but also great training for sustainability on campus,” she said.

The students spent a couple days in a lodge situated among fall leaves. They listened to expert panelists, took guided tours and so much more.

Club president Megann Sasher, a senior double majoring in psychology and criminal justice from Rushville, Indiana, attended three panel discussions “and learned a lot about the environment and its pollinators and (about) student empowerment.”

“It was a great time, and all the groups who attended the conference (especially the other student groups) were very friendly, and it was a nice opportunity to network as well,” Sasher said.

Vice president Samantha Frame, a junior biology major from Fountain City, Indiana, said the conference helped her learn where to start applying for summer jobs. “The people who were in the conference helped point me in the right direction in my field of interest,” Frame said. “It also gave me other ideas of what I could get into if I wanted to go in a slightly different direction.”

Kat Sterrett is a junior double majoring in biology and business administration from Manilla, Indiana. She said she enjoyed the three panel sessions that she attended – and also the bonding experience.

“I hiked a lot with our club, and this trip brought us all closer together,” Sterrett said. “This trip took me out of my comfort zone and helped me meet new people as well. I am very thankful that I was able to go on the trip and learn more about the environment while also meeting a bunch of new and fun people.”

New members are always welcome to the club, Clapp-Itnyre said.

Earth Week activities will be held in mid-April in conjunction with the IU East Office of Sustainability. Information about activities will be posted around campus and on social media.

Original source can be found here.