Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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New peer coaching program aims to help low-income students at Radford
Radford University is launching a peer coaching program to support low-income students.
The state school will use part of a $1.5 million grant from Virginia’s higher education council for the program, which will match undergraduate student coaches with incoming students receiving Pell grants.
Under guidance from university staff, the coaches will help incoming students with enrollment tasks. The coaches will continue to serve as a resource as those new students move to campus and attend their freshman year. About 16 paid coaches will be assigned to admitted students.
The goal is to improve retention for low-income students, who often face greater financial obstacles to completing their degree.
“Students who experience a sense of belonging and community are more likely to remain at the university,” Radford President Bret Danilowicz said in a statement Monday. “We are proud to offer enhanced outreach to ensure that Pell-eligible students have their needs met and are pleased to create meaningful work-based learning opportunities for our new team of student enrollment coaches.”
In October, Radford announced a guaranteed tuition program to ensure that applicants from Virginia households earning $100,000 or less receive financial aid to cover 100% of tuition. Radford’s guarantee kicks in after all federal student aid has been applied, including Pell grants, which are reserved for college applicants from low-income households.
According to data from the university, 37% of Radford undergraduates are eligible for Pell grants.
— Lisa Rowan
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Free 1-day mental health course offered at Ferrum College
Ferrum College Nursing and Piedmont Community Services will offer a Mental Health First Aid course from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 24.
The free course will be held on the lower level of Vaughn Chapel on campus and is open to students, faculty, staff and community. It includes breakfast and lunch.
Preregistration is required at https://jbphillips.wufoo.com/forms/mental-health-first-aid-at-ferrum-college/.
Mental Health First Aid is managed, operated and disseminated by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. It teaches participants to identify and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. Participants learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns and strategies for how to help. The course also teaches recovery and resiliency.
Topics covered include depression and moods disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, psychosis and substance use disorders.
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Margo Price to headline Roanoke’s Down by Downtown Festival
Singer-songwriter Margo Price will headline the Freedom First Down by Downtown Festival in a performance at Roanoke’s Elmwood Park on April 19.
Opening will be soul rock band Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast and Roanoke Americana singer and songwriter Corey Hunley.
Margo Price has been nominated for a Grammy and multiple Americana Music Awards and recently released a memoir, “Maybe We’ll Make It.” Concertgoers will be treated to a blend of rock and roll, psychedelic country, rhythm and blues and pop.
The Down by Downtown Festival spans four days and all of downtown Roanoke. Eighteen venues will host acts ranging from acoustic musicians to comedy shows to full-blown rock sets.
The central hub of the festival will be Elmwood Park, with the ticketed Margo Price show Friday night and free music throughout the day Saturday.
Tickets for Margo Price are on sale now for $35 online and $20 for registered runners in the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon weekend (any distance). Tickets will be $45 at the gate. A complete festival schedule detailing each show is available at DownByDowntown.com.
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Artists sought for Mill Mountain Zoo mural project
Clean Valley Council and Mill Mountain Zoo are looking for artists to submit conceptual sketches of large-scale mosaic pieces to be considered for the 2024 Art to Rescue the River installations at the zoo.
The medium for the project is bottlecaps and lids.
“Repurposing trash into accessible art illustrates how overrun by plastic trash we all are. To see something like this transformed into a beautiful piece of artwork is the best way to communicate the scourge of plastic in our environment,” Courtney Taylor of Mill Mountain Zoo said in a news release announcing the project.
The pieces should be at least 3 feet by 3 feet, and no larger than 10 feet by 7 feet. The design should have a wildlife conservation theme. Mosaics must be mobile, durable and weather sealed with epoxy resin. Mosaic pieces must be able to be moved between different locations throughout the zoo.
Selected artists will receive a stipend for materials.
To be considered for this project, artists must submit a brief description of how the mosaic will be constructed and weather sealed by Feb. 16, along with a sketch or sketches of the concept. Send proposals to Mill Mountain Zoo, c/o Courtney Taylor, P.O. Box 8159, Roanoke, VA 24014. Submissions may also be dropped off at Mill Mountain Zoo.
For more information, contact Courtney Taylor at 540-343-3241 ext. 2 or at courtney@mmzoo.org.