L O R I MCGINNIS BRUNS of Westfield, formerly of Flora, earned her Master's degree in English in May from IUPUI, where she was a member of the

Bruns

Golden Key International Honour Society. She earned her Bachelor's degree in English from there in 2002.

Bruns is employed at IUPUI as an associate faculty for the ESL (English as a Second Language) Department. In August she was an invited speaker at the English for Specific Purposes Institute at IUPUI.

A 1987 graduate of Carroll Jr.Sr. High School, she is the daughter of Linda and Max Thompson of Cutler.

Purdue University's entire staff of newly hired and returning residence hall assistants started the semester by volunteering at nonprofit organizations in the community.

"Extreme Makeover: Community Edition" sent more than 270 resident assistants to 14 agencies to complete tasks such as cleaning, landscaping, food distribution, organizing donated goods and mending literacy training books.

Two women from this area are among the 270 resident assistants. They are: JULIE REPLOGLE of Delphi, who is majoring in elementary education, and JANICE WOODRUFF of Rossville, who is majoring in LA/ Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences.

Resident assistants are degreeseeking students who are at least 21 years old. They are part-time employees of the university and receive free room and board, partial tuition remission and a stipend. Resident assistants serve as role models to residents and provide counseling and counseling referrals. Assistants help ensure that residents adhere to university rules and policies and also are expected to develop a sense of community and foster leadership skills.

The volunteer part of the assistants' training is expected to serve as a model that the assistants can implement as they develop activities and educational programs for the on-campus residents they serve and supervise.